Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide
by Shadow Strabi-star22
Summary: Precia attacks TSAB recruits as they search for the Lost Logia. Fate and Alicia are fighting for Precia's throne. After Alicia murdered Precia and claims the throne herself, Fate is forced to collect Jewel Seeds against her will. She meets Nanoha and is starting to have doubts about herself. Only by combining forces can Nanoha and Fate stop Alicia's reign of terror from spreading.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Here is a story that I thought was interesting to write about. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha belongs to its rightful owner.

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**Prologue**

"Did you get a read on that Jewel Seed Claire?" A slight pause then, "Negative Yūuno. I'm working on it though."

The breeze in the air whips the trees restless, the street lamps flickered on and off. The moon shined bright against the red sky. A boy wearing a green tunic and brown cloak was kneeling besides some kind of evidence on his search for the Jewel Seeds. He mutters to himself, and then touched his earpiece. "Claire, come here for a minute. I think I have found some clue."

"On my way." A girl's voice responded from the other end.

He waited patiently as he continued looking and analyzing the evidence. His partner showed up a few minutes later, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a tank-top and rip jeans. She can always be seen with gloves and her shoes were Vans, with the words Anti-Hero on the side.

"What's the clue?" She asked bending over his shoulder to take a look.

"Hmmmmm…It's really strange." Yūuno commented as he looked at the pile of dirt. It wasn't really noticeable but Yūuno managed to detect a little bit of the Jewel Seed's presence. "I see the indention on where the Jewel was but right next to it is a footprint. It seems that we were a little late. Someone already made off with it."

"I'll contact the Time-Space Administration Bureau (TSAB)." Claire reached behind her and brought out her PDA from a small bag to contact HQ. She was almost ready when a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and disabled the connection. "What?" She pressed all sorts of buttons but, there was no response. The device was completely broken.

"You wouldn't be able to use that device anymore, sweetie" Both kids looked up as this woman jumped down from the lamp post. She was wearing a purple dress with a jewel on her forehead, long fingernails and a wicked staff. This woman was completely dangerous.

"Sorry to say but I got the Jewel already." She chuckles holding it up for all to see, which was mainly her, Claire and Yūuno .

"Precia Testarossa." Yūuno growled, his eyes never leaving her figure. "Why are you here? Your hideout too small in the Garden of Time?" Claire chuckled at that. Precia however, wasn't amused.

"Wrong boy, I came out here searching for the Lost Logia as well. I am quite surprised though..." She eyes the pair, "That mere children like you are hunting these things for the Bureau. They must be low on more…. mature people." She laughs.

"Well younger children look better looking for Jewel Seeds than a…..50 year old hag." Claire retorted loudly. She inwardly smirked as Precia's facial features looked shocked then it darkened drastically. The wind blew violently and more lightning flashed from the sky.

"What did you say, _Little Girl_?" How Dare you insult my age like that." Precia was enraged and started charging up an attack in the palm of her hand.

"Yūno! Claire! Do you read me?" A voice sound, all static and glitches were interfering with the connection. "Lindy?" Yūuno looked down at his watch as his commander's face appeared.

"Get out of there now! That's an order." Her face was worried as well as stern. Claire looked over and said, "Lindy, that old hag stole the Seed and is starting to pick a fight with us. She's even charging up an attack to throw at us. Can we catch her now?"

"No you may not. I am going to repeat my message once more…..GET OUT OF THERE OR YOU"LL GET HURT!" At that last comment, she disappeared from the screen; the intense lightning strikes that crawled out of the sky shattered the connection completely.

Yūuno looked at Claire and said, "You heard her. Let's go." They started to back away slowly but Precia noticed what they were doing.

"You think you can _run away_?" Her attack was done charging and it was deadly too, blazing like a ball on fire. "It's too late for you. This is for that insult!" She hurled it like a projectile.

"Crap let's get out of here." Yūuno and Claire turned tail and ran, with the attack zooming after them.

"Yūuno this isn't going well." Claire sounded panicked and she kept looking behind her as the ball of hot energy was right on their trail.

"I know that!" Yūuno growled back as they kept running.

"HAHA what's wrong kids?" Precia was looking down on them from the air. As a mage, she really knows how to control and bend the air. She looked like a pro, standing all mighty with her nose in the air.

"Tch…" Claire gritted her teeth as she tried to think of a witty insult but Yūuno gave her a look that said _We don't have the time for insults. _She just kept her mouth shut and ran faster.

This cat and mouse chase was getting tiring and finally Claire found a solution. Giving Yūuno a determined look, she skidded to a halt and placed herself in the path of the energy blast. Yūuno figured out what she's going to do and decided to stand beside her. The attack was approaching, ready to mow them down.

"Let's go now." Claire used a Barrier spell to stop the blast while Yūuno conjured up a warping spell. It shrank the blast into a warp hole that sent it into space. They looked up as the sky burst into colors. Apparently the spell allowed the blast to ignite faster because of what was in the atmosphere. Having no where to go, it exploded on itself. Precia scowled as she underestimated those brats and their capabilities.

"You're quite good," she spat down on them, "But you're still no make for me!" At this, she flicked her wrist. Immediately tree roots sprang up from the ground, entangling them. No matter how much they tried, they couldn't get out. Precia lowered herself to the ground and walked over to the now helpless children. She looked from one to the other, musing over what to do with them.

Claire looked at her with pure disgust while Yūuno was quickly thinking up of an escape route. Both children never faltered or wavered under Precia's glare as she stared them down. Finally giving up, she turned her back on them, thinking and plotting. Claire looked at Yūuno and motioned with her hand for him to try and get word to the bureau. Yūuno nodded and fiddled with his watch while Precia's back was turned. Finally getting through, he used his hand to signal a plan, Lindy's head nodded like she understood what to do.

"You kids," Precia finally spoke, turning back and looking at them, "You two really surprised me there. I have to hand it to you, you've got guts to challenge my power. Why don't you join me? We can search for the Lost Logia together and rule the world." She extended her hand wide as if giving them a huge hug, which they totally wouldn't want to do.

"Yeah right," Claire snarled at her, "There is NO way we're joining you, old hag. An S-class criminal like you deserves punishment and justice for all of the crimes you have committed!" Precia's eyes narrowed as she stomp over and grabbed Claire by the chin, jerking her head toward her so that their noses are a few inches apart.

"That was a bad move, girl." Her voice was a deadly whisper as her purple eyes pierced deep into Claire's blue eyes. "Soon, you will all fall down to my power." She let go and walked away, letting Claire catch her breath and her personal space. "Let's see," Precia muttered to herself, thinking a lot of things that would help her world domination. Claire looked at Yūuno again and he nodded. Without letting Precia know, he morphed into a ferret. In his smaller form, he carefully made his way over and started nibbling on the roots.

"Hey!" Noticing that the boy was gone, Precia's sharp eyes noticed him chewing on the roots. Roaring in rage she made a lunge. Yūno sensed her presence and jumped out of the way. This ended up being another cat and mouse chase between an old hag and a ferret boy. Claire watched with amusement as Precia lunged again, missed and made a face plant on the ground. The ferret scampered back and managed to bite through the tough roots.

"Alright," Claire dropped to the ground and looked up as Precia advanced, clearly angry beyond comparison.

"You did it now little boy," Her wrath could be felt within a 100 mile radius, "There is no more escape for the both of you!"

The ground started shaking and cracking under the immense power. "Woah," Claire tried her best to keep steady on the shifting ground.

"Lindy now." Yūuno shouted and as if she heard, a portal opened up behind them.

"NO! You will not escape me!" Precia roared.

"Let's go!" Claire made a dash towards the portal with Yūuno on her shoulder. Suddenly the air cackled as the sound of a whip sang through the air, binding Claire's hands to her side, halting in her stride. She looked back as Precia held the other end confidently.

"Now you will never escape me." She laughed as she started pulling Claire towards her. Yūuno looked worried as Claire struggled, digging her heels into the ground.

"Go Yūuno!" Claire looked at him. "You can make it. Get back to the Bureau!" He looked skeptical at her but she smiled. "I have an idea."

He nodded and took out a necklace. There was a rounded looking marble hanging off of it. Claire heard from Yūuno that he himself designed this device. He placed it around her neck, jumped off her shoulder, scampered to the portal and stopped in front of it, giving Claire a final, desperate look. She nodded at him and he disappeared.

* * *

"So, your partner has left you." Precia looked amused as she saw the portal shrink and disappeared. Claire looked back at her and replied. "I don't need his help to take down an old woman like you!"

Precia's eyebrows twitched and with a roar, she sent a powerful electric spell flowing through the whip. Claire's body convulsed and her eyes widen out at the sudden shock but, she stood her ground, refusing to bow down to this woman. Her breathing was labored as she tried to hold out.

"Give up yet?" Precia knows, seeing the child in front of her wobbling and teetering.

"Ha…...Never. I might not look like it but, I am pretty clever when I am in a pinch." Claire huffed out. She brought out a small ball from her small bag and looked at Precia's confused face. She threw the ball at Precia's feet and it exploded in a cloud of smoke. After the smoke cleared out, Precia saw that the other end of the whip was on the ground, no one was there anymore.

"NOOOO!" She cried out with annoyance as she looked for her prey, searching high and low. After an hour of searching she never found her. "GRRRRR." Furious, she smashed the ground with incredibly explosive power, blowing away everything around her until it was bare dirt. "That wretched little…she was able to escape. But be warned, I'll be back to hunt you down." She made that vow to no one in particular and vanished, leaving an empty crater.

After a few minutes, a pile of dirt was scattered and Claire crawled out. She was on all fours breathing hard. Looking up she saw herself in a huge crater, nothing but dirt. _My guess is that Precia did this. _She crawled her way out of the hole and trudged into the forest nearby.

_I have no strength left. I feel like…...I'm going... to... pass out. _Finally she collapsed and a blue light surrounded her. Once it died down, a cat replaced the body of the human, the necklace was hanging around its neck. With her last breath before she blacked out, she uttered these words.

_Please Help Me. _

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**A/N**: Done with the prologue, I think that was pretty good stuff. Now before anyone ask, Claire is my own character, she does not actually exist in this anime but I feel like this story is going to be great with her as a part of the action. As always reviews are greatly appreciated! :P


	2. Chapter 1: Nanoha Takamachi

**A/N**: Here is chapter 1 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Thank you for those who have reviewed, I really appreciate it: D

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

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**Chapter 1: Nanoha Takamachi **

_Please help me_

A young girl opened her eyes quickly and sat up. It was early in the morning, the sunlight streamed in through the window. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretched and checked the time on her phone. "What a weird dream," she mumbled as she placed the phone on her dresser and shuffled to the bathroom. Meet Nanoha Takamachi, a 9 year old 3rd grade student at Seishou Auxiliary Elementary school. Brown pigtails and shining blue eyes, she was the most adorable little kid anyone could ask for.

"Good morning!" She walked into the kitchen, smiling happily.

"Good morning Nanoha." Her father, Shiro Takamachi smiled at his daughter as he sipped his cup of coffee. The family owns a coffee shop located at the marketplace in front of the train station, called the Midoriya Cafe. Since it was that time of year again, female students and ladies from the neighborhood stop by to eat cakes, cream puffs and drink different types of coffee while chatting about life. Business was booming for this popular shop.

"Here Nanoha, please bring these to the table." Her mother, Momoko Takamachi handed her youngest child 5 clean plates as well as utensils.

"Ok." She made her way to the table and arranged the plates accordingly. "Where is Miyuki and Kyouya?

"Oh them?" He looked at her from the newspaper. "Are they still in the dojo practicing? Since breakfast is almost done, why don't you go call them in?"

In the backyard of the Takamachi residence there was a huge rectangular building. Nanoha knows that her dad was teaching her older brother and sister swordsmanship when they were little, so it was a wonder that her siblings get up so early to practice.

"Miyuki! Kyouya! Good morning it's time for breakfast!" Nanoha opened the door to see her older brother overseeing her older sister's practice.

"Good morning." Kyouya responded. He is a freshman in college now and he has become Miyuki's teacher since he succeeded their dad at the swordsman school.

"Oh good morning Nanoha." Miyuki answered her as well, all sweaty from the practice. She is a second year high school student. Nanoha threw her a towel, smiled and walked back to the house as her siblings got ready.

After breakfast, the three children went off to school. Nanoha had to ride the city bus and went to the back to be with her friends Alisa Bannings and Suzuka Tsukimura. Those three had been together since first grade and now they are in the same cram school.

* * *

_At school..._

"The future huh?" Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka sat together as the class released for lunch. Their teacher was discussing about future careers and she couldn't figure out what she wanted to do. Arisa said she would probably succeed her parents in company managing and Suzuka wanted to do engineering. _I just feel like the__re is something else besides being next in line for the Midoriya Cafe._ Nanoha sighed and looked up at the blue sky. _Something I can do...Something only I can do._

School ended and the three were making their way back home. Beside them was a park, the trees rattled a little with the wind.

"Here it is." Arisa ran ahead and pointed out a path in the park to the others. "Even if it's old and worn, it is faster to get to cram school." The other two followed her on the shortcut path. As they were walking, Nanoha had little pieces of her dream flashing in her mind. _This is the place I saw in my dream yesterday._ She stood there looking a little dazed.

"What's the matter Nanoha?" Suzuka asked as she noticed Nanoha's expression.

"Ah it's nothing. Sorry." Nanoha went to catch up with them.

"Let's go." Arisa took the lead again the girls continued on their way. As they got further and further along the path. Nanoha heard that faint cry she heard in her dream

_Help me_

She stopped at once, eyes shocked.

"Nanoha?" Suzuka and Arisa stopped walking and looked at her puzzled.

"Didn't you just hear something?" She asked them.

"Something?" Suzuka wondered.

"Something...kind of like a voice..."

Suzuka and Arisa shared a look of confusion then shook their heads. They didn't hear it. The girls paused and listened carefully this time.

_Help Me!_

The voice resonated stronger now and Nanoha took off, leaving her friends behind her. She ran down the path toward that voice. "I'm pretty sure I heard it coming from over here." She gasped as she saw a wounded cat lying in the middle of the path. She ran over and knelt beside it. The cat's ear twitched and it lifted its head, showing the bright jewel hanging around its neck. Nanoha felt sadden by the injured animal and carefully picked it up.

"What's wrong Nanoha? Suddenly running off like that..." Arisa's voice sounded behind her as they caught up.

"Look, an injured animal. We have to take it to a vet now!" Suzuka's voice sounded panicky.

The girls agreed on that plan and rushed the animal to a nearby vet.

* * *

_At the vet..._

"Its wound isn't that deep but it's still a little weak." The vet said as she finished washing her hands. "It's probably been on its own for a while."

"Thank you very much Doctor." The girls replied, grateful for her help.

"Not at all. You're quite welcome."

Everyone leaned over the animal in curiosity. Sure it looked like a cat with course black fur and whiskers yet the girls noticed that its paws are grayish/white color and on its forehead was a lightning shape mark. A few rounds of bandages were applied around the wound.

"Doctor this is a cat isn't it? It does have strange markings like a wild animal yet it still might be someone's pet." Arisa said as she looked at the doctor for advice.

"It might be a normal cat...yet it may not be. It's certainly a unique little thing." The doctor inspected it a little closer. "This item on its collar... It looks like some sort of jewel." She reached down to touch it and the cat's eyes opened wide up. It looked from the doctor to the kids and inspected each one. Its eyes fell upon Nanoha and held her gaze, eyes were shimmering and imploring with cuteness.

"Nanoha you're being stared at." Arisa said. _Thank you Captain Obvious._ "Yeah...I umm...umm" Nanoha stammered and then decided to hold out her hand to the cat. The cat sniffed it twice and then licked the palm of her hand. The girls were astonished by the gesture as the cat curled back to sleep.

"It would be best to let it get some rest, so why don't I watch over it for you three until tomorrow?" The doctor asked. Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka shared a knowing look and said together, "Yes! Please do!"

"If you'd like, why don't you come and see how it's doing tomorrow?"

"Yes." Was the answer.

Arisa checked her watch and freaked out. "Ah, oh no! It's time for cram school!" The girls hurried out while thanking the doctor and made it back on time. During class, the three friends collaborated on who is going to keep the cat. Arisa had two dogs and Suzuka had multiple cats. Since both girls already have animals, Nanoha decided that she would ask her parents about it tonight.

* * *

_At dinner…._

"So I was hoping that we could keep the cat until its owner returns for it." Nanoha said at the dinner table, hoping that her parents would agree to her request.

"Hmmm?" Shiro scratched his chin, thinking. "Taking care of an animal is a huge responsibility. I hope you are ready for that." Nanoha nodded her head excitedly, knowing that her parents were agreeing to a pet.

"I think it would be a great addition to the family." Miyuki said and Kyouya nodded his head in agreement.

"The only problem with cats is that they shed…..a lot." Momoko said as she sat down. "I wouldn't mind having a cat in the house as long as you brush it every day so I don't have to clean up the fur."

Nanoha promised she would and the family happily ate dinner, chatting and laughing.

* * *

_Midnight…._

The wind stirred outside of the vet office. The cat's eyes were wide awake as it looked out the window. Moonlight shined in and though normal people wouldn't see it, the cat could see a giant shadowy blob making its way towards the building. Hissing the cat tried to fluff up but the bandages wouldn't allow it. The blob made its way closer and closer.

Nanoha's eyes shot open as she felt the disturbance. Dressing quickly she quietly slipped out and dashed towards the office.

When she arrived, she saw toppled trees blocking the path as well as holes in the surrounding walls. The ground was cracked in a few places but, the office building was still intact. Suddenly time stood still, nothing moved.

Nanoha heard this roar and saw the shadow of the cat jumping out of the window and was running across the ground, followed by a giant blob.

"Over here." She called out to the cat from the other side of the toppled trees. The cat's ears twitched and it crawled underneath some toppled trees and jumped into her arms. The blob got stuck in the process and it roared with frustration as it tried to get out.

"What is that?" Nanoha looked at the struggling creature.

"It is a manifestation of a poor soul that was attracted to the Jewel Seed." The cat responded.

"WHAT?" She looked down at the cat, shocked. "You can talk?"

"What am I? A mute furry pickle?" The cat retorted as it stared at the blob, still trying to get out. "Let's go, it wouldn't stay like that for long. I'll fill you in along the way." Nanoha nodded and took off down the street.

"So you're Claire, a recruit from the Time-Space Administration Bureau (TSAB) and you were on a hunt for the Jewel Seeds aka the Lost Logia?" Nanoha felt like an interrogator as she was running. The cat nodded its head, approving Nanoha's information so far.

"But then this woman Precia appeared and you and your partner got separated because she attacked you? That's not nice at all."

"No it wasn't. That old hag didn't deserve to be there AND she didn't deserve to get that Jewel Seed!" The cat hissed, infuriated.

"Well you're still alive and you kept your partner safe." Nanoha reminded her. The cat sighed, leap down to the street and sat down, her tail wrapped around her paws.

"It is true that my partner Yūuno Scrya was saved because of me, yet Precia Testarossa still had the Jewel Seed in her possession. Even with Yūuno and I combined couldn't defeat her." Claire bent her head down, thinking deeply.

Nanoha knelt down and patted her furry head.

"It's ok." She said, "There will be times where things don't go quite right but, that doesn't mean you will drop down and give up. There are things where it just has to be that way, you can't change that." The cat raised her head and nodded. "Yea I guess."

Nanoha nodded, glad she could cheer her new friend up. The cat had been seething with rage ever since Precia showed up. Their moment was broken when the furry blob landed a few feet a head of them, snarling.

"What do we do now?" Nanoha exclaimed as they backed away slowly.

"Here," Claire held the jewel in her mouth and placed it in Nanoha's palm. "This is Yūuno's device that he made himself. Its name is Raging Heart and I know you have the power to activate its potential. You are of proper nature, you can use my power...my magical powers."

"Magic? But how?"

"Close your eyes and focus your mind. Now, repeat this chant after me." Claire instructed Nanoha as she held Raging Heart in both her hands, the blob inched its way closer and closer.

"I, the one who accepted this mission..."

"I, the one who accepted this mission..."

"..by the ancient contract, order you to release your power!"

"Umm...by the ancient contract, order you to release your power!"

Raging Heart sounded like a human heartbeat as the chanting continued.

"The wind is in the sky, and the stars are in the heavens."

"The wind is in the sky, and the stars are in the heavens."

The jewel reacted once more.

"And a resolute heart..."

"And a resolute heart..."

Together Claire and Nanoha brought the chant to a close.

"...beats within my chest! This magic in my hand... Raging Heart, Set Up!"

The jewel glowed brightly and started activation.

Stand by, ready, set up!

A beam of pink light shot up into the night sky. Nanoha looked worried as she held the glowing item.

"Such great magical prowess," Claire looked astonished as she gave Nanoha a few more instructions.

"Focus, and begin to picture things in your mind! That which allows you to use magic, the form of your magical staff. And that which will protect your body, a strong armor!"

"No way...asking me to do that all of a sudden...umm" Nanoha concentrated hard and an image appeared in her mind. Raging Heart as a magical staff and for her outfit was a dressy look.

"I-I'll go with that for now!" Nanoha announced and her transformation commenced. A flowing white dress, a red bow, a black buckle and white boots, Nanoha was truly a magical girl.

"It's a success." Claire whispered, her tail twitched with delight.

"No way." Nanoha looked entirely confused as she looked at herself. "W-What's with this outfit?"

She looked up as the blob looked ready to attack her. This doesn't look good.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. That wasn't so bad. Nanoha is ready to kick butt as a magical girl. Hehe stick around for next time. Please leave reviews, they're truly appreciated! :D


	3. Chapter 2: My Incantation is Lyrical?

**A/N**: Chapter 2 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

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_I was just supposed to be an ordinary third grader, but a sudden encounter changed everything. I was given a red jewel from which I gained magical powers. My unexpected encounter has set two things in motion, which are slowly building in intensity: My intertwined feelings, and the beginning of this story. This was when magic would first begin to change my ordinary life. Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide begins now! _

Nanoha Takamachi

* * *

**Chapter 2: My Incantation is "Lyrical"?**

"No way." Nanoha was really confused as she held Raging Heart in her hands. Sure she turned into a magical girl but still was quite new at it. She slowly backed away from the enemy as it crawled forward.

"It's coming." Claire warned with the flick of her tail as the blob finally decided to attacked. It jumped into the sky and bombed straight toward the two. Raging Heart immediately responded.

Protection.

The blob slammed into the barrier, the collision created enormous amounts of friction. Nanoha held her ground, a little scared and her eyes were closed. The blob couldn't handle the strong spell and immediately dispersed into multiple little pieces, scattering around the area. They caused a bunch of dents like hail on a car, with enough force to topple a street lamp.

"Our magical item uses a "programming" system that lets our magic take form." Claire explained since Nanoha was shocked at what happened.

"And in order to make that system work, its user needs to provide spiritual energy." Claire was on Nanoha's shoulder as they made a dash away from the ruined street. Nanoha looked back then continued running. The blob was busy recollecting its pieces and assembled together again.

"That thing was born from the source of disgusting and abominable power, and took that form to protect itself. To make it stop, you need to seal it with your staff and return it to its original form."

"I still don't really understand, but how do I do that?" Nanoha asked as Claire jumped off and sat in front of her.

She looked at her and said, "What you did before was one of your two types of magic," she held up her paw, "Attacking and defending. They're basic forms of magic you activate by wishing with all your heart. But in order to summon enough power to fully stop it, you'll need an incantation."

"Incantation?"

"Listen to your heart. I have no doubt that an incantation will come to you." Claire put her paw down as Nanoha closed her eyes, listening for her incantation. While that was happening, the blob was done restructuring itself and charged. It unleashed its attack and Nanoha was ready for it. She lowered Raging Heart in defense.

Protection.

It blocked and destroyed the attack, the thing was shocked and rose up for another round.

"Lyrical Magical," Nanoha got ready for the sealing.

"If you attack and seal it correctly, it should change back into a Jewel Seed!" Claire's voice sounded excited.

"Jewel Seed Seal!" Nanoha's voice resonated the order.

Sealing Mode. Set up. Raging Heart responded. Threads of magic were unleashed and wrapped around the object, tightly. The blob growled as it tried to escape but the threads held on. A roman number appeared on its forehead.

Stand by. Ready.

"Lyrical Magical, Jewel Seed Serial XXI! Seal!"

Sealing.

More threads were woven and penetrated the blob. Letting out one last rebellious roar it shined a white light and disappeared for ever. Nanoha's eyes widened as she saw the sparkling thing among the rocks.

"That's the jewel seed. Touch it with Raging Heart."

Nanoha allowed the object to draw near her. It glowed a bit then went into Raging Heart.

Receipt No. XXI. Afterwards, Nanoha reverted back into her old clothes, Raging Heart was a round ball again as it floated back into her palm.

"H-Huh? It's over?"

"What? You want to pick another fight?" Claire looked up at her with questioning eyes.

"N-No, it's just..." Nanoha suddenly looked around and saw the damage they had.

"If we're seen here, we might get in trouble..."

"By 'we' you mean 'yourself' right?" Claire lazily drew a paw over her ear. "Cause I'm just a stray cat with no home."

"Hey it was your idea of giving me magical powers!" Nanoha pouted, clearly unhappy.

"Ok ok yes it is clearly my fault. Chill out, I'll take some of the blame but for right now, we're leaving." Claire hopped on tho her shoulder and they both left the scene.

* * *

The night continued and a police car rumbled down the street. In a nearby park, Nanoha sat down to catch her breath.

"You ok?" Claire hopped down and looked at her.

"Yea let me catch my breath." Nanoha stared up at the sky thinking for a bit. "How's your wound?"

Claire's eyes shined bright as she said, "All healed." She ruffled her fur, removing the bandage that was still on her. Nanoha picked her up for inspection.

"You're right. The wound you had have vanished. That's amazing."

"Because you helped me out, I was able to use my remaining magical power to help heal myself." Claire twitched her ear as Nanoha set her down next to her.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves more properly? I know you are Claire but I feel as though it needs to be more formal." Nanoha started out first.

"I'm Nanoha Takamachi, a third-grade elementary school student. My close friends and family just call me Nanoha."

"My name is Claire. I don't remember having a last name nor a family so I don't need one at the moment. I was picked up by the TSAB at a young age to work for them and that's about it." Claire flicked her tail as she tried to recall some of her past memories. Nanoha decided to call her Claire-chan from now on.

"Well I can't conjure up anything right now...I'm sorry to have you involve with my incident." She bowed her head, feeling ashamed of herself. Letting in a civilian who is only a kid was very risky business.

"Don't be. I'm perfectly fine with it." Nanoha picked her up, "For now, let's go back to my house. We can sort the other things out afterwards, okay?"

* * *

_At the Takamachi residents..._

Nanoha carefully closed the gate door and tried to get to the door quietly but to no avail.

"Welcome home." A voice welcomed her arrival.

Nanoha quickly hid Claire behind her back. "O-Onii-chan..." she replied nervously.

"And just where have you been at this time of night?" Kyouya asked sternly.

"Umm...that is...uh..erm..." Nanoha stumbled over her words, trying to think of something to say.

"My, how cute!" A voice sounded behind her. Nanoha cringed slightly as she turned to her new comer. "O-Onee-chan?" Miyuki was bending down to look at the cat.

"Huh? You look pretty down. Let me guess, you were worried and went to check on him, right?"

"Onee-chan, this cat is a female." Nanoha correct her as she felt Claire slightly raised a few hairs, offended at the gender mistake.

Her older brother sighed, "It's not that I don't understand how you feel about this animal, but I still can't believe you snuck out of the house like that."

"Come on now. She came home safely. And Nanoha's a good girl, so she won't do this again. Right?" Her older sister said, eyeing Nanoha and giving her a wink.

"Yeah..." Nanoha said and faced her older brother. "I'm sorry for sneaking out and worrying you." She bows and he accepted her apology with a huff.

"And there we are. Everything 's all better." Miyuki smiled and picked Claire up. "At any rate, she sure is cute, isn't she? I'm sure Mom will think she's so cute and faint when she first sees it."

"I'd say the probability of that is pretty high." Kyouya agreed as they went inside to get some rest.

* * *

_The next morning..._

~Beooop boop dedoo do do deedo~ The sound of a cell phone went off as it inched its way over the bed and fell on the floor. A hand reached out and silenced it before drawing back into the covers. Nanoha opened her eyes, got up and pushed open the blinds to let the light streamed in.

"Good morning Claire-chan." She said to the cat in the basket.

"Ah...good morning to you too." Claire purred as she stepped out and stretched.

"Well, for now I'll say good job at making it through the night." Nanoha walked over to a mirror to fix her hair.

"Likewise." was Claire's response. Nanoha smiled as she continued what she was doing, thinking over what happened.

_Last night, when I showed Claire-chan to Mom and Dad..._

"AH! It's so cute!" Mom flipped out as she snuggled Claire against her. Claire loved the pamper treatment though she looked like she couldn't breathe for awhile. "Such a cutie-pie!" She started swinging the cat around, too preoccupied with the cuteness to realize what she was doing.

"Mom! Please take it easy..." Nanoha said, worried about Claire's well-being since she was uncomfortable and about to hurl.

"It's sooooooo cute!" She brought Claire back into a cuddle state.

"It looks like a really smart cat doesn't it?" Their father said, watching the cat being manhandled by his wife. The kids sighed.

"I wonder if it can do any tricks?" He held out his hand, "Here, give me your palm." Claire sniffed his hand, then placed her paw in his hand.

"It sure is a big w'il smarty, isn't it?" Their parents were spilling their love on the animal.

_And there was a big fuss for some time. After that, we discussed what to do for Claire-chan's meals, and the whole fuss over her started again. In the end, the two of us didn't really get to talk much last night. _

"Are you comfortable of saying my first name now?" Nanoha asked her after she was done with her hair.

"Yeah, Nanoha." Claire turned her head to lick the fur.

_They only managed to get used to calling each other by their first names...and to start talking like friends. _

"I need to get to school," Nanoha had her backpack ready and was about to leave, "so let me hear all about what's going on with you wen I get home, okay?"

"Oh that is not a problem." Claire said after stepping back into the basket. " Even if we're apart, we can still talk to each other." Nanoha looked surprised. Claire closed her eyes, then opened them again.

_You're a mage now, Nanoha. _She heard Claire's voice clear in her head.

"Ah, this is like when you first called to me." Nanoha said, remembering the feeling.

_That's right. We can talk as long as you have Raging Heart with you. _She directed her attention the the jewel on a napkin beside her. _Now try talking to me with your heart. _Claire watched as Nanoha reached over and picked up the device from the napkin.

"Ummm." She placed the device over her heart. _Like this? _

_ That's right. Easy enough right? _

Nanoha smiled brightly, "Y-You're right!

_I'll tell you about a lot of things whenever you're free. Like about me, magic, and the Jewel Seeds. _

Nanoha nodded. "Okay."

* * *

_At school..._

"Good morning."

"Nanoha! Did you hear about what happened last night?" Suzuka's voice sounded.

"What do you mean?"

"The vet we went to yesterday. Apparently there was a car accident or something and they said the wall was smashed in." Suzuka's voice was full of sadness.

"We've been worried about the cat..." Alisa's voice added, Suzuka nodded in agreement.

"Umm, you see..." Nanoha didn't know how to explain the situation. She decided to tell her friends at lunch. They understood.

"I see. So she's safe at your house, Nanoha!" Suzuka's voice sounded relieved. "But that's one incredible coincidence, isn't it? To have met her on the street when she was escaping from that mess." Nanoha smiled while thinking the total opposite since she tweaked the truth a bit.

"And it looks like my family doesn't mind have a pet cat...so we're going to be taking care of her at my house for now."

"I see! Now all we have to do is come up with a name for her." Suzuka exclaimed.

"Have you thought of one?" Alisa asked.

"Yeah. Her name's Claire-chan." Nanoha replied happily.

"Claire-chan?"

"Yep. Claire-chan."

During class, Nanoha was paying close attention to the teacher since she was talking about radicals such as "hen" and "tsukuri", meanings and stuff when Claire decided to talk to her.

_The Jewel Seeds are ancient relics of my world._ Nanoha's eyes widen in surprise as Claire's voice entered. She apparently was eating a fish-shaped cookie as she was speaking.

_Originally, they were magical stones which could grant the wishes of those who possessed them, but sometimes the manifestation of their power become unstable, like what happened last night. Sometimes, they'll turn on the stone's user and devour everything in the area, including the user's spirit. There are times when people will misuse them and get __confused, which can also cause them to run wild. _

Nanoha was busy writing in a book but she replied. _So why was something so dangerous in my neighborhood? _

Claire sighed and said., _It was my partner's clumsiness. Back in his hometown, he is an archaeologist. He said he discovered something in an old rock formation. He sent a team of investigators to claim it and put it into safekeeping. However, the ship that was taking it away had some sort of accident and then a big disaster. _

_ Twenty-one Jewel Seeds were scattered across this world because of that. And we've only managed to find two so far. _Claire stared out of Nanoha's window, looking at the huge skyscrapers.

_So there's another nineteen left, huh...?_ Nanoha's voice replied. The bell rang at school, signaling that the break was over. The students returned from their break and back to class.

_Huh? But wait a second_. Nanoha sounded confused. _From what you've told me so far, it's not really your partner's fault the Jewel Seeds got scattered here, right? _

_ But he was the one who first found them. _Claire said. _So he has to find them and return them to where they should be. I was teamed up with him on this mission and since I am here at the moment, it is my responsibility to continue the search until he comes back. _

Nanoha listened with passion. Somehow she could relate to Claire's feelings. _You sure are a diligent person, aren't you Claire-chan? _Claire twitched her ears and lazily stroke her fur.

_Look, I'm terribly sorry about getting you involved last night and making you help me like that. I'd like to stay in your care for a while longer as I rest and let my magical powers return. Just a week...no, if I had just five days, all of my power would return, so if I could stay with you until then..._Claire's voice sounded hopeful, she didn't want to burden Nanoha with so much of her responsibility towards finding the Jewel Seeds.

_If your powers do return, what will you do? _Nanoha asked.

_ I'll leave to search for the rest of the Jewel Seeds alone again and wait for my partner to return. _

_ I can't allow that. _

_ Y-You won't allow that? What kind of a decision is that? _Claire's voice was full of outraged.

_It's impossible for me to help during normal school and cram school, but I can help you out any other time. _

_ But it's dangerous and most likely it will be like last night. _Claire tried to reason with her. Nanoha chuckled to herself and continued.

_Well, we've already become acquainted, and I've heard your entire story. I just can't leave you alone now. And if people in the neighborhood are going to keep running into things like last night, it'll be a problem for everyone, right?_

Claire raised her head as Nanoha continued.

_ Claire-chan, you don't have anyone to help you out when you're alone, right? Until your partner returns, let me help you out._

* * *

The bell rang, declaring that school was over. Students were returning home for the day.

_ "If someone's in need and you have the power to help them, you should never hesitate to help them.." _Nanoha walked home with Alisa and Suzuka everyday. The friends split up as they dropped each one off. Nanoha was the only one left so she decided to get something to bring with her when she returned home. While looking for some snacks, she felt this sudden tingling feeling. Claire felt it too, her ears perked up and her tail twitched back and forth.

_Claire-chan ,what was that? _

_ A new Jewel Seed has been activated. It's close! _

_ What should we do? _

_ Let's stand up against it together. Help me! _

_ Yeah! _Nanoha nodded her head in agreement. She took off running in the direction of the feeling.

Claire rushed out of Nanoha's room, down the stairs and stood at the front door. It was looked so she meowed loudly.

"What's up kitty?" Miyuki asked as she came to the door. Claire rubbed against her leg, purred then scratched the front door.

"Oh you want to go outside? Ok." She opened the door and Claire bolted out, running really fast down the street.

"Hey get back here." Miyuki called after her. "At least be back till dinner!"

* * *

_Not far from the place..._

A woman fainted after her dog succumbed to the jewel seed. It became this monstrous thing, with four eyes. Claire caught up with Nanoha and they both ran up some stairs. On top were shrines and a torii gate. They reached the top and were shocked at what they saw. The beast snarled at their arrival.

"It possessed an animal that was in the area." Claire flicked her tail.

"W-What should I do?" Nanoha asked.

"It's a lot tougher when it has a stable form like this!"

"It'll be fine...probably." Nanoha took a confident step forward.

"Nanoha! Activate Raging Heart!" Claire stated.

"Ah! How do I activate it again...?" Her mind blanked out. The beast ran at them.

"Start from "I, the one who accepted this mission!" The activation password!" Claire was staring to panic.

"I don't remember that whole long thing!" Nanoha said, more panicked than Claire.

"I'll tell you again, so just repeat after me!"

"O-Okay" Nanoha said in a shaky voice as the beast closed the distance between them. It was too late the beast was almost upon them. As if to defend its master, Raging Heart activated by itself.

Stand by. Ready. Set up.

The beast growled as it shielded its eyes from the glowing light. Claire's eyes widened with total shock.

_ She activated Raging Heart without even saying the password...! _

* * *

**A/N**: Have to stop here for today. Sorry for the late update, been pretty busy. Hopefully you all liked this chapter. Reviews are really appreciated! :D


	4. Chapter 3: The Town's in a Lot of Danger

**A/N**: Chapter 3 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Town's in a Lot of Danger?**

Protect Condition: All green.

Nanoha wielded Raging Heart like a pro as the beast ran into the protector field. It roared in pain as it fell to the ground, paralyzed.

_She took no damage from that impact, impressive._ _As I thought, Nanoha has an incredible amount of talent. _Claire smiled.

"All I have to do is seal it right?" Nanoha looked at Raging Heart and smiled, "Raging Heart, please!"

Alright. Sealing mode. Set up. The device acknowledged her request. Power threads whipped around, encasing the animal and the serial number appeared on its forehead.

_Stand by. Ready._

" Lyrical Magical. Jewel Seed Serial XVI! Seal!"

Sealing.

Like before, more threads appeared and the animal disappeared, leaving the Jewel Seed to fall and be absorbed by Raging Heart.

Receipt No. XVI.

Nanoha sighed a relieve. "I wonder if it's all right now.."

Claire nodded her head. "Yeah. There's not much else we have to do now, like before."

The sun was setting and the owner of the dog wakes up. She fainted due to the fact that her animal friend became a monster.

"Huh? I wonder if I tripped and hit my head...?" She looks down at the dog, picked it up and walked back home.

"Good job...I guess?" Nanoha sat on the stairs, gazing out.

"Yeah. I'd say so." Claire agreed.

_The first day I, Takamachi Nanoha, started out as a magical girl had finally ended. I've made a new friend, Claire-chan. I don't know that much about her, magic, or the dangers of that will be coming. Anyway, a whole lot has happened..._

"Well, I sure am hungry from all of that fighting." Nanoha said as Claire settled around her shoulders. The cat grinned in response.

_I guess for now, I just have to keep doing my best! _

* * *

_The next night..._

Stand By. Ready.

"Lyrical Magical! Jewel Seed Serial XX! Seal!"

Sealing.

Beams of pink light appeared in the sky, then they vanished.

"Nanoha, great job!" Claire looked up at her, purring. They watched as the Jewel Seed floated downwards and got absorbed by Raging Heart.

On the way back home, Nanoha was literally sleep-walking.

"Nanoha are you ok?" Claire padded in front of her but looked back at the child with concern.

"I'm fine, but...I'm just a little tired." She replied before doing a face plant on the ground.

"Nanoha! Are you all right?" Claire ran over and touched Nanoha's head with a paw. She heard soft breathing which indicated deep sleep. She sighed and carried Nanoha herself back home. The child worked so hard so she deserved a lot of rest. She managed to get Nanoha into bed without a sound before tucking herself into the basket to catch up on some shut eye. The night was long.

* * *

_The next morning..._

"Nanoha, it's morning already. You have to get up soon." Claire spoke to the child, her tail was twitching back and forth while watching the child with beady eyes.

"Today's Sunday...just let me sleep in a little longer..."Nanoha mumbled as she snuggled into the pillow, trying to block out Claire's voice. The cat attempted anyway.

"Nanoha! Wake up, Nanoha!" After a few more coaxing, Claire snorted as she failed to rouse the child from the cozy bed but, that didn't stop her from giving up so quickly. So she used the most annoying way to get the child out which is constant whining and meowing.

"Nanoha! Come on, Nanoha! Nanohaaaaa!"

Finally getting irritated, Nanoha rolled over and threw her pillow at the cat's face.

"Not nice." She hissed as she swatted the pillow away and looked as Nanoha held up Raging Heart.

Conformation. The device beeped.

The Jewel Seeds that were obtained appeared, moving in a circular motion. They have managed to snag 5 so far. She sighed. Claire tipped her head to the side, her ear twitched a bit.

"Nanoha, I think it'd be a good idea to take a break today." She turned around to lick the fur.

"But..."She was about to voice her opinion but got cut off.

"Today, you _will_ take a break! After all, we've already collected five Seeds." Claire grinned at the accomplishment. "If you don't, you won't be able to last. And you already have plans for today, right?"

"Yeah...I guess you're right." She agreed with the cat. Sitting up, she picked the cat up and placed her on her lap.

"Then I guess I'll take a small break from Jewel Seed hunting today."

"Yeah!"

This afternoon, they decided to cheer on the Midoriya JFC at their soccer match. Arisa and Suzuka also came out to cheer as well. The whistle blows and the game is on. Arisa and Suzuka were yelling their voice out, cheering loudly.

_This is...a sport of your world, right? _Claire looks up at Nanoha. This new sport looked confusing to her.

_Hm? Yeah, that's right. It's called "soccer." _Nanoha started explaining the game to her. _ You kick around a ball and try to get it into the goals, and if you do, you get a point. The only person allowed to use his hands is the one who stands in front of the goal. _

_ Oh? It sounds pretty fun. _The cat was staring at the game intensely now.

_Do you have these kinds of sports in your world too, Claire-chan?_

_ Yeah. But I always have to help my partner in his research and excavations, so I don't play too often. This is the first time I have seen intense play before. _

Nanoha chuckled. _Just like me. I'm not that good at sports. _

The game ended with Midoriya JFC team winning 2-0. Lots of cheering, whooping and hollering.

"All right, you guys! You all did great! That was a really strong showing today! Just like in practice. " Nanoha's dad congratulated his team, praising them. The team was enthusiastic.

"To celebrate, who's up for some food?" The team cheered. At the Midoriya Cafe, the whole team piled in to have lunch. The food was excellent and it was on the house for winning the game. Outside, Nanoha and her friends were able to enjoy the peace and quiet but it lead to a discussion about Claire's weird markings and the lightning bolt shape on the forehead.

"When you take a second glance at her, she does look kinda different from a normal cat, don't you think?" Arisa was saying. Nanoha had a shocked look on her face, afraid they might know the secret.

"Now that you mention it, I agree...and that nice doctor and the vet said she was unique, too.." Suzuka chimed in.

"Ahh...umm...I guess you could say she's kind of a unique cat..." Nanoha tried her best to stay calm, acting like she normally does.

"Here, Claire-chan. Shake." The cat did her best to act like a good kitty and placed her paw into Nanoha's hand.

"Awwwww..." Suzuka clasped her hands together at the adorable handshake. "She's sooo cute!"

"Such a clever little girl!" Arisa reached over and started the petting session. Now both of them are petting the cat.

"She's so great!" They cooed.

_Sorry about this, Claire-chan. _Nanoha apologized since she didn't want to get dragged into this.

_I-It's all right._..Was the cat's reply.

The soccer team had finished eating and walked out of the Cafe.

"Thank you for treating us!" They said in unison.

"Everyone, you were really great today!" Shiro-san said to the team before they left for the day. "Let's give it our all again in practice next week, and win the next match just like we won this one! Well then, everyone's dismissed for the day! Be careful on your way home."

"Thank you very much!" The kids said and went their separate ways. One of the players reached into his bag and pulled out what looks like a glowing stone. He stared at it passionately and stuffed it in his pocket but, not before Nanoha recognized what it was.

It was a Jewel Seed.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope it was alright!:D


	5. Chapter 4: The TSAB comes calling in

**A/N**: Chapter 4 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The TSAB comes calling in**

_Was that my imagination? _Nanoha stared confusingly as the player waited for his girlfriend to catch up to him. They walked away, arms linked together. _I was sure that it was a Jewel Seed. _

"Here Nanoha!" She looked as Alisa held out a very dizzy Claire in her direction. She was preoccupied with the Jewel Seed that she failed to notice Alisa petting and swinging the cat around in circles. Suzuka just chuckled as Nanoha held the cat and helped her ease back into motion. _ Remind her not to pick me up like that and twirl me around._ Claire looked at Nanoha with cute eyes. _That child is too serious, I swear I thought she was going to drop me on the cement_. _That wouldn't be a pretty sight now would it?_

"Hello children!" Nanoha's dad walked over, "Thanks for cheering for the team today."

"It's been our pleasure." Alisa said. Suzuka nodded, agreeing. "Congratulation on the win."

"Thanks," He checks his watch, "It's 4:30, do you want me to send you girls home."

"No thanks, my dad's coming to pick me up. Suzuka's also coming along, I'm gonna drop her off at her house." Alisa said, bowing.

"Thanks for the food! Goodbye now!" Alisa and Suzuka waved goodbye to the Takamachi family and left the cafe. Nanoha and Claire helped clean up the store and made their way home. It only in the afternoon so everyone took a nap before dinner.

* * *

_A few blocks away_

"That was a great game today," A girl was talking to her boyfriend, smiling. "You did great!" The boy smiled back and reached into his pocket.

"Here, I wanted to give this to you." He held her hand and placed the jewel inside her palm.

"It's so pretty! Such a nice rock!" She was mesmerized by the beauty. The little jewel pulsated and reacted to the emotion around it. It erupted into power and embraced the kids in a ball of light, tree roots and an enormous tree towered over the city.

"Do you feel that?" Nanoha's eyes shot open as she looked out of the window.

"Ya, looks like a Jewel Seed activated. Let's go." Claire meowed as the pair trumped down the stairs and bolted out the door. On top of the roof of a nearby hospital, Nanoha transformed into a Lyrical Girl.

"Do you see it Nanoha?" Claire rested on her shoulders, eying the gigantic tree. "You don't have to attack every part of the tree. Located the source of the power." Nanoha nodded and aimed Raging Heart toward the tree.

_Tracking Mode_. The device scanned the whole area before beeping.

"I found them." Nanoha locked on to the ball of yellow light, the silhouette of the two kids shined through. They were in each others arms, the boy embracing the girl protectively.

"Let's go Raging Heart."

_Stand by. Ready. Set up. _

"Target locked on."

_Shooting mode_

"Divine Buster. Shoot!" A beam of magenta shot out of the device and like a arrow, pierced the ball of light. It shattered, its occupants falling to the ground safely and the tree shook with rage at the loss of support.

_Sealing Mode._

Magenta colored threads burst out and wrapped the huge tree. It struggled a bit before disappearing, leaving a Jewel Seed behind. Nanoha walked up and let Raging Heart do her thing of keeping it safe.

"Seal complete. Great job!" Claire purred. They vanished before anyone recognized what just happened. The player and his girlfriend woke up and were bewildered with the destruction. Scratching their heads, they were carefully walking home. Neither one spoke about the shiny stone.

* * *

Back at Nanoha's house, Claire was grooming herself when Raging Heart started acting strangely. She would light up or beep or something weird that didn't fit her nature.

"What's wrong Raging Heart?" Nanoha walked in with a plate full of snacks and placed it on the desk.

_Incoming Call. Incoming Call. You're getting a call, my master. _She beeped. Nanoha and Claire exchanged glances before Raging Heart displayed a wide screen hologram. The words Incoming Call appeared in big font letters.

"I wonder who is it from?" Nanoha wondered as Claire approached and pressed the pick-up button with her paw.

"This is Claire speaking. Who is this?"

"Claire?" The voice on the other side sounded shocked and cried almost instantly. "Oh my little Claire, you're alive." It was a female's voice and the continuous bawling noises were the most disturbing thing in the whole wide world.

_Is it the Time-Space Administration Bureau? Interesting that they communicated with me at a time like this.__The voice __m__ust be Amy._ Claire frowned as she replied. "Amy? You do know that there is a camera feature right? Turn it on so we can see you. Besides, I'm fine, nothing I can't handle."

"That's great Claire," The camera turned on and the girl named Amy sniffed, tissue in hand. "I'm glad you're ok .Everyone here has been worried about your well being, even Yūuno swore to bite anyone who crossed his path. He was desperate on getting back and rescuing you that it took the whole crew to catch him and stuff him in a little cage."

_Typical Yūuno, he's such a great guy and partner_. "I hope you guys let him out at some point. He hates small spaces."

"In fact I brought him here with me." Amy directed the camera to him, "Yūuno , Claire's on the line."

"AAAAAHHH! Claire's online?" A little ferret appeared, grinning brightly, tail wagging. "Hi Claire!"

"Yūuno, long time no see!" Claire purred, tail waving.

"Is he your partner?" Nanoha asked, peering at the screen.

"WOAH a human?" The ferret backed up, startled.

"What? Really? A human? Let me see!" Soon the screen was surrounded by faces as the crew tried to take a good look at her. Nanoha shyly looked back.

"Back to your seats everyone!" A loud voice barked and the faces cleared up, revealing an elegant woman with bright green hair. She sat in the commanding throne of what looks like a ship.

"Soo glad to see you, Claire. I hope you're doing fine." She smiled as she took a sip of tea.

"Thanks for your concern, Lindy Harlaown." Claire bowed her head.

"That child behind you...who is she?" Claire looked behind and beckoned Nanoha to step forward.

"Umm...my name is Nanoha Takamachi. Nice to make your acquaintance."

"Like wise. I am Lindy Harlaown, captain of the Spaceship Ursula and part of the Time-Space Administration Bureau." She smiled at the girl on the screen. "I'm grateful that you managed to take care of Claire when we were busy with the incident of the Jewel Seeds and Precia Testarossa. By the way, how many Jewel Seeds have you collected so far."

"6 I believe." Claire stated. Lindy nodded, "That's an accomplishment, that means you have 15 more to go. Keep it up." She paused for a minute than said, "I'm going to deploy Yūuno soon so that he'll join you. In the mean time, go ahead and collect the rest of the Jewel Seeds if you can."

"Yay Yūuno's coming over soon." Claire meowed loudly. Nanoha on the other hand, didn't look thrilled.

"A cat's hard enough but ANOTHER animal? How am I suppose to explain that to my parents."

"Hey I'm not THAT hard to handle. Besides, Yūuno can take care of himself so you don't have to worry about it. He can sneak in when he wants too and disappear just like that. Your parents won't suspect a thing."

"O-Okay but, if my parents find out then we will have a big problem."

"I promise everything's gonna be fine." Claire raised her paw and crossed it across her heart. Nanoha nodded, "Ok."

"Great, Yūuno's going to arrive in about a week. Hopefully you two would have obtained most of the Seeds."

"Got it."

"Well than, bye for now. Amy managed to create the link between us and Raging Heart so we decided to test it out. Good luck on your end." Lindy smiled and waved.

"Bye bye!" Nanoha and Claire waved back as the screen went blank. They smiled at each other and went downstairs for dinner.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope it was ok! :P


	6. Chapter 5: The Testarossa Family

**A/N**: Chapter 5 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Testarossa Family**

"MOM, Fate stole my ribbon!"

"Alicia has too many! Tell her to give me one!"

"Girls enough! Alicia, give Fate one of your ribbons."

"Hmph...fine."

Deep within the Garden of Time, Precia Testarossa rubbed her temples with irritation. Her two daughters Fate and Alicia constantly bicker and it was driving her insane. Ever since they were born, Alicia always had a knack of studying hard, never slacking and getting good grades. Fate gets good grades as well, even studying harder than Alicia. Both of them were great to have around however, when one wants what the other has, it's an all out headache session. Precia even threatened a time-out once but, that didn't work so she gave up on the idea. Alicia was the older one so of course she gets the better things. Fate on the other hand would borrow and steal from her sister, which causes huge bickering and fits.

"Now Fate, why don't you go outside to play a bit?" She smiled warmly at her. Fate nodded at rushed outside to play. Alicia pouted and turned to her mother.

"Moooom, why did you let Fate have one of my ribbons?"

"Alicia, for the last time sharing is caring." Precia said as she sat on the throne, looking sternly at her oldest daughter. Alicia stubbornly looked at the ground, her hand traced the hem of her skirt as she muttered, "It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, my dear." Precia stated calmly then waved her hand dismissively, "go check on Fate would you?" She coughed a bit as Alicia allowed herself to be drawn to the outside air, clearly sick of being cooped up inside. She turned around to see Precia carefully folded the napkin that was stained with blood. _Mother doesn't have that much time_. She thought as she left. There wasn't that much to see, just bare rocks and swirling clouds with some flashes of lightning. She watched Fate run around, playing with her familiar Arf who played by her heels. As a familiar, Arf has fierce loyalty towards Fate, willing to risk her own life to protect hers. Fate and Arf are inseparable, those two were always seen together.

"Fate, let's go for a walk." Alicia called out, waving her younger sister over. Fate trotted over and the sisters went for a walk around Precia's domain and ended up in one of the garden houses. Lovely flowers were in bloom this time of the year and the air was thick with flowery scents. While Arf rolled around a bit, the two sisters sat and stared at the sea of flowers, deep in thought.

"You do know that mother is sick right Fate?" Alicia spoke. Fate shook her head, she hasn't heard of mother's illness. Alicia sighed, it was obviously the older one's duty to tell the younger one what is going on. Alicia and Fate weren't always bickering, they had a sisterly bond like no other. They look out for each other, protected each other.

"Once mom's gone, there is the throne. Only one of us can obtain it. The wielder on the throne, along with the Jewel Seeds can obtain total control and unlimited power."

"I'm sure Alicia would be great on the throne." Fate smiled and she nodded her head. Alicia looked surprise at that, "You believe I'll be the next one in line for the throne?"

"Yup." Alicia smiled and gave Fate a hug.

"Thanks."

* * *

_A few years later..._

Precia was getting weaker and weaker due to her illness. She continues to hobble around and sometimes can't move around that long before resting.

"Girls...come here for a second." Alicia and Fate stood in front of her, casting their eyes on the floor and waited for her to speak.

"Before I go, I want to give my throne to one of you." Fate nervously tugged the hem of her skirt while Alicia's eyes shown brightly. Precia took a deep breath before continuing.

"My throne will go to...Fate." Alicia's eyes widened with shock as Fate lifted her head, clearly confused on what happened. "Wait mother, what about Alicia? She's older and more wiser, surely she'll be more capable than I."

"Alicia isn't worthy on my throne." Precia said simply, "You Fate, are worthy for my throne." She stood up and hobbled off towards her chamber. Fate timidly looked at Alicia, fearful that she would collapse due to shock.

"Alicia..."She reached out to touch her arm but, Alicia quickly smacked her away, her eyes burned ferociously.

"You...You Stole the Throne from me!" Alicia roared, clearly devastated as well as hurt. Fate didn't know what to do. She stood there as her older sister shook with rage.

"Alicia it's not what you think..." Fate tried to calm her down but Alicia rounded on her, seething with anger.

"No Fate. It's over. Just you wait." Alicia stormed out, leaving Fate alone. For days, Alicia wouldn't come out of her room, not even for dinner. When Precia asked Fate about her, she would say, "She's not hungry" or "She's taking a nap." Precia would nod and had Fate bring Alicia a plate with food. Since the two shared a room, it was kind of hard for Fate to avoid Alicia's anger. She hasn't been herself, ever since Precia gave the throne to Fate, even planning on abusing Fate in order for Precia to give the throne to her. However, when Alicia tried that tactic, it backfired. When Precia saw Fate covered in scars and bruises, she realized what Alicia had done. She personally punished Alicia herself and threw her in the dungeon, going so far as to say Alicia isn't her daughter anymore. It broke Alicia's heart and shattered her whole world. She went crazy.

* * *

_One day..._

"Mom, what's for lunch? I'm starving." Fate called through the door and hurried to the kitchen. No one was there. She checked all around but there was no one. Arf trotted by her side, nose on the ground and ears alert.

_Fate, I smell blood._ She took off running in the direction of the scent with Fate on her heels. The scent led them to stand right out of Precia's bedchamber.

"Mother..."Fate tentatively reached out and pushed the door open. She peeked into the room and nervously stepped in. She hasn't seen her mother's room before. The wallpaper was old and dingy, in need of a make-over. The bed was on the far end along with some drawers and chests.

"Mother?" Fate called out. Something creaked and than the footsteps. Fate backed up against the door as Arf snarled, placing herself in front of Fate. The footsteps stopped and with a little light, she saw it was just Alicia.

"A-Alicia...w-why are you here?" Fate asked, scared. Alicia didn't respond, she only stared at what was ahead of her. Fate silently groped for the door knob, found it and ran back out. She stopped to catch her breath and turned around to see Alicia walking towards her. What's scary is that now Alicia has that sinister smile of a psychopath, her eyes were crazy looking and she wouldn't stopped laughing. In her hand was a long butcher knife, still dripping with blood.

"Fate, dear sister what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Alicia purred as Fate shakily stepped back. Noticing the knife, she wiped the blood off with a finger and placed it in her mouth. "Wanna know whose it is?" She snapped her fingers and the lights came on. Fate shielded her eyes from the blinding light before adjusting. What she saw would scar her life forever. Hanging on the ceiling, with only a few chains for support was Precia Testarossa. She was mutilated beyond recognition, no words could describe the horror that Fate felt.

"Hmmm?" Alicia thought, tapping her finger against her chin, "Something's off." She glanced at the butcher knife and grinned.

"I got it." She hurled it like a boomerang. It flew in an arc and cut Precia's head clean off her shoulders. Fate covered her mouth as the head fell to the floor with a splat. Alicia caught the knife and stated, "Much better."

"Why are you doing this? Why?" Fate sobbed, tears running down her face. Alicia looked at her and gave the question a long, hard thought.

"Why? Well I guess it had to do with mother giving her throne to you. At that time, my heart throbbed painfully because I wasn't chosen. The thing that hurt me most was when mother said I wasn't her daughter anymore and that YOU," She swung the knife at Fate's direction, "would take over and gain the unlimited power."

"Mother's judgment is absolute. If I am to be on the throne, then the throne is rightfully mine." Fate said, clearly foolish even to challenge her sister. Alicia threw back her head and roared out in laughter, the walls bounced back the sound so it was magnified a lot louder and stronger.

"My dear sister, you are clearly mistaken. You aren't powerful enough to claim the throne. With mother out of the picture," She sauntered up to the throne and sat down, cross legged. "I am the one and only."

"I'll stop you Alicia! You aren't meant to rule." Fate stood firmly. Alicia's gaze darkened and she growled, "You don't have the right to challenge me just yet. Until you become strong enough, try and stop me." Alicia smiled and casted a spell that sent Fate tumbling out of the building. She laughed and floated out, walking casually to Fate's body, the owner was already unconscious thanks to the blast.

"Listen closely dear sister," She bent down and whispered into Fate's ear. "You will serve me from now on. For your first task, go collect the Jewel Seeds and bring them to me. Failure is not an option." With that, she used magic to bring Fate's body back in and allowed her to rest. Outside the lightning thrashed about madly as if offended by the new leadership. Alicia sat on Precia's throne, a smirking look plastered on her face as Fate and Arf walked in. They knelt before her, loyal to their master.

"Welcome Fate. You have already received your task, are you ready to fulfill it?"

Fate lifted her head to reveal emotionless eyes. She replied in a voice that doesn't seem to fit her.

"Yes Master."

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope this was ok. Please review yo, it's very much appreciated :D


	7. Chapter 6: Uminari Hot Springs

**A/N**: Chapter 6 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to Revengest and Zona Rose for reviewing and giving this story some love and attention.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Uminari Hot Springs**

"Nanoha, what is this festivity we're attending about?" Claire sat in front of the door as she watched Nanoha gather some items and belongings, stuffing them in a little gym bag. The day was hot, sun brightly shining.

"Oh that's right!" She smiled at the cat, "Today we are having a group trip with Suzuka's family and Arisa. Arisa's family can't make it this time, usually all three of our families are together. We always go on these huge group trips, a tradition I guess. You'll love it."

"Unless my coat gets wet, I'll be a really big sour puss and I won't be fun to be around." Claire grumbled as she licked a paw. She paused when her ears detected faint scratching outside.

"It's him!" She exclaimed, jumping up onto the window ledge and meowed.

"Who's him?" Nanoha walked over and saw ferret sitting outside, tail wagging. "Oh it's you. Lindy-san said you would come here in a week, must have slipped my mind." Claire was practically beaming with joy as Nanoha opened the window to let him in. The ferret carefully padded in, trying to make himself comfortable.

"Hi Yūuno, glad you could make it!" Claire wagged her tail. Yūuno smiled back in response.

"Glad to be here."

"Meet Nanoha Takamachi, the girl that took care of me when we were separated." Claire pointed with her tail to Nanoha, who stared at the ferret with interest.

"Ah. Nice to meet you Nanoha. My name is Yūuno Scrya." The ferret bowed his head.

"The pleasure is all mine." Nanoha responded. Yūuno continued to survey the room.

"So this is a normal room?" He scanned every little corner in detail, even scurrying over to take a bite out a fish cookie from the snack bowl, it's been there since the night before. "Scrumptious!" He exclaimed before gleefully helping himself to another one.

"Can Yūuno come with us?" Claire asked.

"Sure! The more the merrier I say." Nanoha nodded her head.

"Nanoha!" A voice rang out from downstairs. "Let's go!"

"Aaah I'm coming Mom!" She picked up her bag. "Now how am I suppose to do this?" The bag was full and there was no way Claire can fit. There was a pocket somewhere on the outside and Claire got a really great idea.

"No problems. Come here Yūuno."

"Yes?" He hopped off the drawer, a part of a fish cookie in his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see but here, make yourself useful!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Before Yūuno could react, Claire picked him up by the scruff and placed him in the front pocket of the bag.

"There." She smiled at her work, "Oh wait, paws out...tidy up that fur and...done!"

"HUH?" Yūuno was confused but Nanoha looked cheerful.

"Yūuno-kun looks like a plushy now!" Claire nodded as Nanoha picked up the bag with Yūuno looking scared at first but, he realized what he needed to do. As they went downstairs, Claire filled Yūuno in with all the info up til now.

"So that is what is happening. All you need to do is act as a stuff animal and we'll be fine."

"That's not so bad. I'll manage." They arrived just in time. The car was loaded with stuff, not too much stuff but just the right amount.

"Nanoha, what took you so long? Wait...Is that a ferret doll?" Miyuki bent down and lifted Yūuno out of the pocket. "It's so...CUTE!" She started pinching his cheeks. Claire glanced up as Yūuno's eyes started to water.

"Kids let's go. We're leaving. Everyone else has arrived at the rendezvous point, we'll get there in at least 2 hours." Shiro-san called from the car.

"Okay!" The kids piled in, Yūuno was safe back in the pocket and he rubbed his cheeks to reduce the pain. Claire purred happily on Nanoha's lap as she inwardly chuckled at Yūuno's earlier antics. The car ride was lovely, everyone got to see the ocean for once. When they arrived at the rendezvous point, everyone was waiting. There was Suzuka's parents, Suzuka, Arisa, Shinobu who is Suzuka's older sister as well as Noel and Farin, their housemaids. They were really friendly people.

* * *

"So Nanoha, there is this really amazing hot spring that is just a few blocks away. Wanna go?" Suzuka was saying as the children were gathered around a table.

"Yeah, let's go."

"Sounds like fun! Why don't we all go?" The kids turned their heads to see Miyuki and Shinobu walking over. Later their parents joined them and everyone busily chatted with excitement. The hot springs they were talking about is the Uminari Hot Springs. Luckily there was a separation between the men and women, privacy ensured which is a good thing. Yūuno however, got caught by Arisa and she brought him in with her to the ladies side. Claire couldn't help meowing with laughter at his deep red face as he tried to escape the nudity of girls, he failed. She decided to leave him be and allowed herself to perch on Nanoha's head, dipping her tail in the water for a bit.

* * *

_Later..._

"That was great! Let's go to the house and play some video games!" Arisa exclaimed, stretching her muscles after the bath. Nanoha and Suzuka were walking beside her. Claire rested on Nanoha's shoulder, Yūuno was left in the care of Miyuki and Shinobu.

"Yeah that sounds great. We should do this more often." Suzuka agreed. Nanoha smiled.

"Having fun, little girls?" A voice asked.

All three of them stopped as a women came into view. She had orange hair and light blue eyes. On her forehead is a red/orange jewel or something like that. She grinned in a way that made Arisa's temper boil, Nanoha however just looked at her frightened.

"Hmmm...That's a pretty interesting cat you got there, looks cute too. Too bad, having good looks won't help you later on in life." She locked her eyes on Nanoha and Claire, who hissed in response.

"Hey, who asked you? Buzz off and mind your own business!" Arisa said, standing in front and full of rage. The woman glanced at her, irritated.

"Calm down, no need for this anger. I was going to the springs after our chat anyway." She sauntered past the group before saying, "You better watch your backs." and disappeared.

"Man, what's with that woman?" Arisa angrily stomped her feet.

"It's ok Arisa." Suzuka managed to calm her down.

_Did you feel that Nanoha? That woman's aura? _Claire asked her, looking in the direction the woman disappeared to. _Yeah, she didn't feel normal at all._ Nanoha worriedly replied. Claire shook her head. _I doubt this would be the last time we'll see her. Our paths will cross again soon. Let's be on our guard Nanoha!_

_Yeah._ Nanoha nodded as she followed her friends back to the house, unaware that the woman she met, would soon be in league with her rival for the Jewel Seeds.

* * *

**A/N**: Done!


	8. Chapter 7: Rival Appearance

**A/N**: Chapter 7 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to Revengest and Zona Rose for reviewing and giving this story some love and attention.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Rival Appearance  
**

"Nanoha, I found it!" Claire edged her way to the banks of a nearby stream. Ever since that encounter with that strange women at the springs, Claire persuaded Nanoha to focus on the Jewel Seed hunting more diligently. She developed a nervous streak and wouldn't want to even step outside to search. Now after a few weeks, Claire found traces of a Jewel Seed nearby and with much persuasion, managed to coax Nanoha out. Claire trotted back with the Jewel Seed in her jaws.

"Yup that's a Jewel Seed. Quickly Nanoha, seal it!" Yūuno wagged his tail excitedly.

"O-okay." Nanoha stammered, lowering Raging Heart.

Sealing Mode. Stand by. Ready. She beeped.

"That's quite enough." A voice rang out and the three of them looked up. On the lamppost stood two figures, a girl and what looks like a mutt but, most likely is a wolf. They jumped down and Claire stood over the Jewel Seed protectively.

"That jewel seed..."The girl spoke quietly as she looked at them. "What is it's significance? Why are you collecting them?" The three friends looked at each other in puzzlement then turned back to answer.

"Why are we collecting them? It is because they are required for our investigation. That is all." Claire replied simply. The girl's expression remained cold and emotionless but something flickered in her eyes. Claire looked surprised as the flicker disappeared. _Was that my imagination? _She thought but, she dismissed it. _No she is the enemy. _

"I see. Then I challenge you for it." She lowered her weapon. Nanoha nervously gripped Raging Heart and got ready for the attack. The giant wolf bristled, baring her teeth and Yūuno rose up to challenge her, his whiskers twitching.

_Why does she have such lonely eyes? _Nanoha wondered as she gazed at her opponent's eyes. Immediately the wolf pounced on them, claws outstretched.

"Yūuno, she's yours to handle!" Claire called out.

"I'm on it." He created a spell and soon he vanished, along with the wolf. Some pattering of feet sounded a few feet away where the cat and mouse chase presumed. Trees toppled over as Yūuno led his opponent away from the others. That left the other three to duke it out.

"Here I come." The other girl muttered as she vanished.

"Huh? Where'd she?" Nanoha looked around and felt an uneasiness crawling up her spine. She looked behind her just in time to see the girl's weapon baring down towards her. She blocked that attack with Raging Heart and sparks clashed between their weapons. Their eyes met and for a second, Nanoha just smiled. In that instant the other girl eased back, looking slightly confused at that gesture. Claire took that opportunity to lash out, managing to scrap a bit of fabric as the girl evaded. Both Claire and her opponent locked eyes, a really bad move because both of them froze. They tensed up in a non-aggressive way. Nanoha looked astonished as the other girl lowered her weapon.

"I thought it was you. It's been a long time." She addressed the cat.

"It has been a long time, Fate." Claire agreed, wrapping her tail around her paws. Fate looked a little happy, slightly happy. Her eyes shined a bit before falling back into loneliness.

"Ever since you left, mother and Alicia tried so hard to cheer me up. I'm sure that you met my familiar Arf yesterday at the springs, I had to know who I was dealing with. Do you still remember that time we first met?"

Claire shook her head no. "That memory is the memory that I have long since forgotten. I don't remember it at all. This battle isn't worth fighting Fate, we found the Jewel Seed first, so it is ours by right. It was good to see you again, our paths will cross again." She got up and turned to Nanoha. "We're leaving."

"Huh? But Claire-chan..." The cat raised a paw for silence. "No but's. We're leaving."

"You're not going anywhere!" Arf came back followed by Yūuno. She pounced and Claire intercepted. The two animals tussled around, biting and clawing. Yūuno quickly grabbed the Jewel Seed and gave it to Nanoha.

"Here, we found it first so hurry and seal it."

"But Yūuno-kun, we didn't have a fair fight!" Nanoha protested.

"Now's not the time! We have to go." Yūuno quickly placed the Jewel Seed near Raging Heart. "Seal this Jewel Seed."

Sealing.

The Jewel Seed was absorbed for safe keeping but, Nanoha didn't look happy about it. She still wanted to fight Fate fair and square.

"NO! Give that back!" Arf managed to dislodge the cat and made an attack on the human. "That Jewel Seed belongs to us!"

"NO it doesn't!" Yūuno growled, his fur bristling. He stood in front to protect Nanoha.

"Out of the way!" Arf hissed as she nudged him away and brought her claws down in a strike. Nanoha braced herself but the claws never reached her. RRRRIIIPPPP! The sound of flesh ripping caught her attention and she gasped out. Arf bit back a frustrated growl and leaped back. Claire stood there, between them breathing heavily. Arf's claws slashed her and it when from the top of her forehead to the right cheek, right over the lightning mark. Claire had to blink her eyes to keep the blood out.

"Enough! We are done here." She meowed loudly before turning back to Nanoha. "Let's go." She took a step, wobbled and fell on her side. A few drops of blood fell on the ground and soon pooled around.

"Claire-chan!" Nanoha quickly scooped the cat into her arms and looked at the animal with concern. The wound was deep and the blood wouldn't stop flowing. She tentatively touched it and the cat hissed with pain.

" Yūuno-kun we have to take her to the hospital!" She looked at the ferret and he looked worried.

"Alright but a normal human hospital won't work. I'm directing us to another place!" He created a teleportation spell. " Yūuno-kun here. Send us up!" A beam of light surround the three and then they vanished, leaving no traces behind.

"They escaped." Arf scratched the ground and looked at her companion. "Maybe next time Fate." Fate payed no attention, instead she just stared at the small puddle of blood not too far. Her eyes showed concern as well as fear.

"Hey Fate," Arf nudged her with a paw. "What's wrong?" Fate gave her an emotionless stare and said, "Nothing, let's go home." They disappeared as well.

* * *

_On the Ursula ..._

The TSAB HQ is high above the Earth, in airships. On such an occasion, the Ursula stands by ready for emergencies. Yūuno teleported them there, by means of a gate. They stumbled out and medics rushed over. Nanoha handed Claire over gently and watched as the cat got wheeled away to the emergency room.

"There you are Yūuno." The ferret looked up as Lindy walked over. She looked at their frowning faces and sighed.

"It was brave of Claire to protect you but, that was reckless."

"Lindy-san, it was all for the Jewel Seed." Yūuno replied.

"Was it necessary?" Nanoha went to sit down on a bench that wasn't too far from where she stood and placed her hands on her face. "All for a Jewel Seed? We should have given it to Fate in the first place."

"Nanoha-chan was it?" Lindy sat beside her and shook her head. "Claire was doing what she does best, which was to protect the Jewel Seed and protect her friends. You found that Jewel Seed first therefore you get to keep it."

"Yea but," Nanoha shook her head, "Fate wanted a match and when Claire sparred with her, they stopped fighting. It was like they knew each other from the start. That's when Arf charged in."

"Hmmm?" Lindy stroked her chin, thinking. "Something must have happened in Claire's past."

"Lindy-san, Claire-chan said that she didn't have a family and that you guys picked her up from somewhere. Do you think this fight affected her greatly because something happened with Fate long before she joined the TSAB?" Nanoha looked at the woman. She was given a puzzling look.

"Nanoha-chan, to be honest we don't know much about Claire either. We just needed recruits and well...here she is." Lindy had no other explanation. "Well I'm sure Claire is about done so why don't you guys go pay her a visit? When you're done come to the Commander's room. I want to know more about what happened." She got up and walked away, leaving Nanoha to follow Yūuno as he led her towards the emergency room.

* * *

_In the Garden of Time..._

"Insolent Fool!" Fate cringed a bit as her sister shrieked. They managed to return and are now feeling the wrath of Alicia. When they got back, Alicia was waiting patiently for some good news and when she didn't get good news, she flipped out. She pace around as her sister waited for more lashings of the tongue. Finally Alicia spoke,

"That cat...What is the significance of that cat?" Fate looked away and didn't want to answer the question. It brought back the fighting memory.

"Fate...you cannot allow your emotions to get to you. A cat is just a cat and nothing more." Alicia stopped pacing and sat down on the throne. "The next time you guys meet, crush them. I will not tolerate failure. I will let you off easy but next time will be more severe. Be gone!" She waved her hand dismissively and Fate exits. Once she was out, Fate sighed. She roamed around a bit, Alicia's question bugged her.

"What is the significance of that cat?" At first Fate didn't want to reply but what made her blood boil was her sister's next statement.

"A cat is just a cat and nothing more."

_No your wrong._ Fate clenched her fist. _That cat...that cat means more to me than anyone else, even more than Arf. She was...my very first friend in my childhood life of loneliness. _

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Get ready for a massive flashback to Claire and Fate's very first encounter!


	9. Chapter 8: Claire's Lost Memory

**A/N**: Chapter 8 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to Revengest and ZonaRose for reviewing and giving this story some love and attention.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Claire's Lost Memory**

"Sorry for the intrusion!" Nanoha announced as she entered the emergency room. Yūuno followed and sat there, wiggling his nose. The room was like a hospital room, a lot of nurses, doctors and medical equipment.

"Ahh, your fine we are just patching up right now." One of the medics smiled. They stepped to the side to reveal the bandaged cat. Her head was wrapped and tied off with a bow, one of her paws was in a little sling.

"Claire-chan you look like a mummy." Nanoha commented as the medical team went to another patient. The cat grinned, her tail wiggled a bit. Yūuno smiled as he wagged his tail in greeting.

"Nanoha that's not how you greet an injured person, it's rude." She purred and begged Nanoha to pick her up. Nanoha smiled as she gently picked the cat up. They laughed and had fun for a minute before she placed the cat down.

"Claire-chan, that time when we faced off against Fate-chan, you two sounded like really close friends. Can you explain what happened between you two?" The cat sighed and stroked her fur by the base of her tail. She was quiet for awhile as though she was in deep thought, then she looked at Nanoha, looking at her straight in the eye.

"Alright. Come with me." The cat jumped down carefully and limped over to a place where they won't be disturbed. She beckoned with her tail for the two to sit. They sat for awhile and Blair steeled herself.

"Before I begin, I need to tell you something first. In that battle with Fate and Arf, I realized that when Arf scratched my face she triggered a flashback, well her claws did. That lightning mark on my forehead was a spell charm Precia Testarossa cast on me and Arf's claws triggered my lost memories. As I was being treated, little bits and pieces started coming together and I started remembering." She unwrapped the bandage on her head, letting them fall to the ground. The lightning mark was still there and Arf's claw marks ran right through it. They trailed down all the way to Claire's right cheek, it looked like a scar. It was like half of her face was ruined by the fight. Claire used her good paw to lightly touch the claw marks. She sighed.

"It looks horrible, I know. There is nothing we can do about it. I tried to heal it the best I could, this is as far as it would heal." She shakes her head. "Anyway I wanted to tell you about that before I start my story. This is what happened..." Claire closed her eyes and began her tale.

* * *

_Flashback_

It was a rainy day, everyone was bustling around trying to get to their destination. There was a box laying in an alleyway and a faint cry came out. A small kid tumbled out and splashed in the rain water. She was about 6 years old and she looked up at the pouring rain while shivering from the cold.

"Mom? Mommy? Where are you?" She nervously spoke. Her dark brown hair was plastered to her face and her brown eyes were terrified. She made her way to the street and looked around. Shadows of other people walked by her and paid her no attention. The rain began to fall a little harder and the kid was getting soaked.

"I-I need to find shelter...fast!" She covered her head and joined the crowd, moving swiftly to get out of the rain. She made her way into a nearby park and ducked underneath some trees. The leaves provided some shelter and the she rested a bit.

"I hope the rains goes away." She sniffs as the rain came down. It rained most of the night and by next morning it stopped. When the kid opened her eyes, the harsh sunlight shined through the leaves. Crawling out, she stretched and smiled.

"It's morning, I better go and get breakfast." She trotted off and made her way to the local fish market. The smell of different types of fish caught her nose and her mouth watered.

"Get out of here, orphan!" One of the fish seller caught her sniffing at his goods and so he shooed her away. "Come back when you get money." The kid walked around and an idea popped into her head. With no money she had another method. She used magic to change into a small gray kitten.

"Fresh fish, get your fish here!" The fish seller was in the middle of selling his goods and he noticed a small kitten padding over and staring at him with big eyes.

"Well hello there little fellow." He stooped down and petted the animal, unaware that the orphan girl he shooed away was the animal. She meowed and rubbed against his hand, purring. He smiled.

"I bet you're hungry. Wait one moment." He got up and went behind his stand. The kitten sat down and waited. The owner came back and he gave her a big fish, a flounder to be exact. "Here you go. Have a nice day!" The kitten sniffed it and picked it up. She trotted off with the fish and waved her small tail in the air. She brought the fish back to the park and munched on the fish happily. She was nibbling on the head when she heard this threatening growl. She turned her head and came face to face with this dark wolf creature. Her fur stood up and she quickly snatched up the fish and ran off. Behind her were the thundering paws of her chaser. The kitten darted around and managed to lose the other animal. She buried the fish remains somewhere and went back to the park to rest. After 5 minutes that other animal showed up again, gnashing its teeth. It made a leap at the small animal but didn't get far.

Barrier Form.

A magical circle appeared and blocked the creature from advancing. The owner of the magical circle was a girl with blonde hair, burgundy eyes. She was about 6 years old at the time and she looked at the creature with silent anger.

"Go away to where you came from. Leave this kitten alone." She addressed it. The animal growled in response.

"As you wish. Bardiche." She held up a triangular device.

Yes sir. The device beep.

"Set up."

Set up. The device glowed with the power of lightning. The girl transformed and wielded a scythe-like weapon, the one she called Bardiche. The wolf creature growled, eying its opponent with concentration.

"Come." The girl lowered her weapon, beckoning the animal forward and attack. They clashed, sparks flying out between Bardiche and the animal's claws or fangs. The kitten timidly watched, crouching in the grass and staring with big eyes.

"Let's end this!" The girl raised Bardiche high in the sky, lightning was crackling through out.

Destroy.

The monster was pierced by lightning bolts, its eyes were wide before it disappeared. It was burned by the intensity of heat. The girl sighed before turning her attention to the kitten. It sensed her and pricked its ears up.

"Are you ok?" She stooped down and the kitten brushed against her, purring. The girl smiled and picked the kitten up.

"Are you lost? It's cold outside. Let's go home. I'm sure mother would be happy to see you."

* * *

_A few minutes later..._

"Mother, I'm back!" The girl kept her hands behind her back as she walked in. Her home was like some sort of castle, pretty scary yet heartwarming.

"Welcome home Fate." A woman's voice replied. The girl named Fate smiled and waltzed into the kitchen. Her mother gave her a warm smile. Her older sister Alicia was at the table, smiling as well. Her mother frowned a bit. "Fate, what's behind your back?" She asked, eying the child.

"Well...I was wondering if we could have a pet...in our family?" Fate asked, nervous on what her mother would say. She looked at her with hopeful eyes, Alicia was also looking at her, almost begging to have a pet.

"Fate, taking care of an animal is hard work. You must take responsibility for it...but, I guess we can have a pet in this household." Fate's face beamed happily as she held out her hands to reveal the small kitten.

"Did you hear that? We can keep you!" The kitten mewed with delight. Alicia and Fate took turns feeding the kitten and playing with her. At nighttime, the kitten takes turns sleeping with Fate and Alicia. She had a blissful life ever since she lived with her new friends. At breakfast she would lap milk from a saucer then rub against Fate's leg, purring. Fate enjoyed the attention and she would cuttle the kitten outside. At times Alicia would get jealous and she would fight with Fate over the animal. Fate usually wins so Alicia would storm off to do her own business.

"You're a really cute fellow aren't you?" Fate was saying as she played with the kitten.

"I guess you could say that." The kitten replied. Fate's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She leaned closer.

"Wait...you can talk?"

"Mew?" The kitten feebly replied, looking away. Fate picked the kitten up, looking skeptical.

"Come on now, you were talking just a minute ago. Do you not trust me?"

"...I guess I don't have a choice. Follow me." The kitten leaped out and trotted to a quiet place, Fate right behind.

"Promise you won't tell anyone else." The kitten looked at the girl with imploring eyes.

"Promise."

"Ok then." The kitten closed its eyes and a magical circle appeared underneath. Muttering some enchantment, the circle shined brighter and Fate had to shield her eyes. When it died down, she saw a girl about the same age as her. The girl had brown hair and brown eyes. Smiling nervously, the girl decided the introduce herself.

"My name is Claire and I have magical abilities that my parents were scared of. Thank you for saving me that day, I'll pay you back somehow."

"It's ok, you don't have to pay me back. You being here with me is more than enough. Now it's my turn to introduce myself." The girl placed her hand over her chest, a gentle gesture. "My name is Fate Testarossa. My mother is Precia Testarossa and my older sister is Alicia. Sometimes I get lonely and no one is here to play with me. Ever since you came, the atmosphere of gloom started to lift, I felt as though I wouldn't be lonely anymore. The first time I met you as a kitten, I thought as though I felt the presence of a human. When you changed in front of me, I just knew you were the perfect one, the one I could truly call a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yup, a friend. How about it Claire? Will you be willing to be my first friend?" Fate extended her hand. Claire hesitated a bit but she stared into those eyes and felt true warmth. She smiled and placed her hand on top of Fate's.

"Sure Fate, best friends for life" The girls smiled on their pledge.

* * *

_2 years later..._

"Come on Fate, I wanna go see what kind of delicious items are at the store." An 8 year old Claire dragged her friend downtown, laughing with happiness. They got permission from Precia after an hours worth of persuasion. She finally agreed and the girls hurried off.

"Wow, check out these sweets!" Claire was literally drooling as the girls stared at the different varieties.

"Don't eat too much, you'll get a stomach ache." Fate advised as Claire paid for two bags full. They were leaving the store when some mages appeared. They cornered the kids and the captain commander appeared.

"Halt you two." He commanded. "Fate Testarossa, you are coming with us. Your mother is under arrest for a notorious crime."

"What?" Fate backed up.

"She's not going anywhere!" Claire hissed, coming to the protection of her friend. The circle tightened and Claire grabbed Fate's hand. "Let's go Fate!" She released a teleportation spell and warped them straight back home. The circle mages followed in pursuit. The kids stopped to catch their breath and came face to face with Precia, who had a look of pure rage.

"You...YOU FOOL!"

Smack.

Claire doubled over and clutched her now bruising cheek. She looked up as Precia raised her hand to hit her but Fate stood in the way.

"Mom, stop it!"

"Why? Because of her, I have these intruders who are trying to arrest me!" Purple lightning crackled above as Claire sat there, looking very sorry.

"Hmmm...it seems like they're going away now." Precia looks up, feeling the magical interferences leaving. "Now about you." She considers her options while the kids looked up at her, waiting for her response.

"How about this?" She zaps something out of her fingers and it hits Claire, etching a lightning shaped mark on the forehead. Feeling kind of dizzy, Claire fell flat on the ground, out cold. The mark glowed before fading. It looked as though the mark was never there to begin with.

"What did you do mother?" Fate exclaimed, kneeling down next to the unconscious girl.

"That spell is a memory sealing spell." Precia sighed and started walking away. "It should seal her memory and when she wakes up, she'll have parts of her memory as white blanks. She'll never recover those, even if she tried." She paused, "By the way, she isn't welcomed anymore. I want her out before tomorrow. Do not contact each other anymore." She disappeared through the corridors. Fate stares after her sadly before carrying Claire back to her room.

* * *

_In Fate's room..._

"I'm sorry, for not intervening when mother hit you. That must have hurt." Fate was kneeling on the floor. Claire was resting on the bed and she propped herself on the bed and smile softly.

"No, it's my fault. I should have known that bringing us here directly would have led them to our home. I'm the one to blame."

"Does your head still hurt?" Claire placed her hand on her head, shaking her head no.

"That's good." Fate sighed a relieve before glancing down sadly. "My mom wants you to go by tomorrow morning."

"...Are you going to allow that?"

Fate looked at her friend, those sad brown eyes. She didn't want her friend to leave. Eternally, she wanted a friend, someone who would be by her side for the rest of her life.

"No. I won't allow that. I'll figure out a way for you to stay."

"...Fate?" Fate looked at her friend as she grasped her hand. "...I'll leave."

"Why would you DO that?"

"Listen. I don't want your mother to be angry. I'm glad we were friend, I really wish our time together was longer, ever since we met I always wanted to stay by your side. Right now, let's cherish the time left...together." The girls smiled sadly as they counted every passing minute together.

* * *

_Next morning at dawn..._

"Here, you can leave though this." Fate indicated with her hand to a hidden door in her mother's garden. If one looks hard enough, the door is obvious but its not. It was hidden very well and only Fate knows the door exist. Claire sighed and faced Fate. The girls stared at each other and hugged for the last time.

"...Goodbye Fate. Thanks for being my friend, my one true friend."

"Same goes for you...Claire. Have a safe trip." Claire smiled warmly and walked over to the hidden door. She turned around, giving Fate one last look.

"Fate...the next time we meet, I'll be stronger. We'll always be friends, no matter where the road takes us."

"That's right. We'll always be friends. Once I'm done here, no matter where you are, I'll find you."

Claire held out her pinky. "Pinky promise?" Fate smiled and interlocked her own pinky.

"Pinky promise."

Both girls smiled and sadly parted ways. Claire almost stepped through the door but, something held her back. She turned on her heels and looked after Fate as the girl made her way back home.

"Fate!" The girl turned around and Claire waved.

"I'll see you soon Fate, our paths will most likely cross again. I won't forget you!" Claire hollered.

" That's right, our paths will cross again. I won't forget you either, I will find you again! Take care of yourself Claire!" Fate shouted as she waved back. Claire smiled for the last time and disappeared through the door. Fate looked at her friend's disappearing figure and continued to trudge back home. She wiped away a silver tear.

_End of Flashback_

* * *

"That's what happened...the cheerfulness of my childhood." Claire opened her cat eyes and looked at Nanoha's shocked and gloomy face.

"Then what happened? After you disappeared?" She asked.

"After I disappeared, the lightning mark did its thing. My memories were sealed. I could remember that rainy day and other childhood memories as clear as day but, when I tried to remember my first encounter with Fate and befriending her, it was blank like a white page. I still remember meeting Yūuno at one of his digging sites and being recruited by the TSAB. In a sense, I'm glad Arf scratched my face, it made me remember what had happened. I have...remembered what was lost in my life. I...I remembered who was my...very first friend."

"Claire-chan..." Nanoha stroked the cat's head gently, calming the feline down .

"I'm fine." She rubbed her eyes with her good paw. "Let's go to the commander's room. Lindy-san said so."

The three friends made their way to the commander's room in deep silence.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. That was a lot of writing but, I have managed to complete it. Please review and give this story some love and attention.


	10. Chapter 9: The feeling of friendship?

**A/N**: Chapter 9 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide._ Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Feeling of Friendship?**

_In the Garden of Time..._

"Ah Fate." Alicia smiled and rose up from her seat as her sister walked into her chamber, Arf right behind her. "Good of you to show up. I have an assignment for you."

"Yes sis." Fate replied, monotonously. Her eyes weren't even on Alicia, instead she was staring off into space or thinking about something. She was technically ignoring the person in front. Arf noticed and gently nudged her.

"Fate, listen to your assignment. It's really important."

"Oh? Sorry." She looked at Alicia, who was tapping her foot with annoyance.

"Honestly Fate, this won't take an hour. It'll be quick." Alicia cleared her throat and proceeded with the assignment.

"I detected a bunch of Jewel Seeds, 6 to be exactly. Your job is to acquire them and bring them to me. Right now you have obtained...8. The other girl...what was her name?" She pondered a bit. "Nanoha? That's right, she has 7 right now...hmmm." Alicia strokes her chin, then smiles. "Get those 6 immediately. That's your top priority, secure those 6 Jewel Seeds before anyone else. Once you have them all, only then can you steal the rest. Failure is not an option."

"Whatever you say, it is my command." Fate answered before leaving. Alicia smiled as she sat back down.

"Once those Jewel Seeds are within my grasp, the entire world will be mine!"

* * *

_In outer space..._

"Welcome to the amazing place on the ship...the cockpit." Lindy turned as Amy led the three kids over. Nanoha smiled as she looked around, Yūuno was riding on her shoulder. Claire hobbled behind them on three legs, one of her paws was in a little kitty sling. Amy thought it was cute and she drew a little heart plus a get well soon message. Lindy gave Amy a look and held out her hand. Smiling mischievously, Amy gave her captain a sharpie. Lindy squatted down and scribbled her own message on the little kitty sling, causing Claire to sigh. Soon the whole crew would love to scribble their own little messages.

" Glad you three could make it. I want to know a little more on what happened." Lindy sat in her commander chair. Nanoha, Yūuno and Claire sat around and recalled the encounter. Once they were done, Lindy was pondering a thought. The kids waited for her opinion or some kind of words.

"Hmm...a mage your age and you say that she's really skilled?" Nodding of the heads. "Ok and she wanted the Jewel Seed as well. This spells trouble in all direction."

"Lindy-san, we have to secure the Jewel Seeds before she does." Yūuno said, his tail twitching.

"I know. I know. It just worries me a little bit."

"Admiral Lindy! I found the information." Amy called out, her fingers rapidly pushing buttons. "Everyone, gather around." The whole group huddled around as the information appeared on the innovation screen.

"Fate Testarossa, 9 years old and a mage like Nanoha. She lives in the Garden of Time with her mother Precia and older sister Alicia. Her familiar is Arf, nothing is known about her. Apparently her skill level with magic is on par with Yūuno. Claire-chan is the only one who can stand on par with Fate and Arf together, winning percentage is about 50%."

"So your saying...!" Nanoha shockingly stared at Claire and picked her up.

"What?" The cat gave her a plain look.

"Amy-san, is Claire-chan that strong?" Amy nodded. "If you make her mad, you better watch out."

"That's amazing." Nanoha cuddled the cat who is enjoying the affection.

"Ok you two, do that in your own free time. We have a situation." The emergency lights flashed. Amy propped up the screens and they saw a mage flying over the ocean.

"It's her!" Nanoha exclaimed.

"What's she doing out there?" Lindy shouted.

"Apparently she is trying to seal 6 Jewel Seeds at once, they are too hard to handle because they are already in rampage mood." Amy replied.

"We'll arrest her then, she'll be too tired to attack us." Nanoha's ears perk up and she whirled around. She dashed off to the teleportation module.

"Nanoha, get back here!" Lindy cried out, wide-eyed and shocked at the girl's behavior.

"I'm sorry but, I'll have to go against your order Lindy-san." Nanoha said firmly. "I need to help her!"

"Count me in too!" Claire meows and she hobbled over. Nanoha smiled and scooped the cat up. "I can't leave my friend alone, I need to make up for the lost time we once had!"

"Don't forget about me!" Yūuno scurried over and leaped onto her shoulder.

"Get back here you three!" Lindy was fuming.

"We're sorry! We'll accept your punishment no matter how severe it will be when we get back!" The three said in unison before teleporting to the site.

* * *

_Over the ocean..._

"Raging Heart, Set up!" Nanoha commanded as the three friends tumbled down into the clouds.

Stand by. Ready. Set up.

"Huh?" Fate's shocked face looked up at the shinning light and watched as Nanoha descended from the heavens.

"You...Don't Interfere!" Arf became hostile and started to attack but Yūuno blocked her way.

"Stop, you got it wrong. We came to help."

"What?" Arf's face was that of shock.

"That's right." Claire floated down, giving the familiar a steel look. "Now's not the time to argue so either you help us or get out of the way and let us handle it." Arf looked at her, furiously but flinched back when she saw the mark on the cat's face. She guiltily looked away as Claire left to get into position. Yūuno looked at her sympathetically, he knew she blamed herself for attacking but now's not the time for any sulking.

"Let's support them as they seal the Jewel Seeds, before it becomes even more dangerous." He told her before joining Claire and the two of them released their magic. They used Magical Binds to hold the Jewel Seeds in place, their swirling vortex of power was unyielding.

"Fate-chan, let's stop these Jewel Seeds together!" Nanoha address the girl. Raging Heart sent a little bit of her power to Bardiche.

Power Charge.

Supplying Complete.

"We'll each take care of half of them!" Nanoha said, smiling. Fate was speechless at the girl's kindness. Arf joined Claire and Yūuno, her mind set on the action she was about to do. After thinking about Claire's words, she realized what was the point of having help, what it was like to reach out to others. She used her own magic to hold the Jewel Seeds and was determined to assist Fate in any way she can. So now there were 3 sets of binds holding and stopping the destruction of the Seeds.

" Yūuno-kun, Claire-chan and Arf-san are stopping them for us! Now's our chance! On the count of three, we'll seal them all at the same time!" Nanoha flew into position.

Shooting Mode.

She looked back at Fate in encouragement.

Sealing form. Set up. Bardiche beeped.

"Bardiche..." Fate stared in amazement at her device. She looked at Nanoha, who responded with a wink.

"Divine Buster...Full Power." Nanoha commanded for Raging Heart. "You can do it, right?"

All right, my master.

Both girls began charging up power for their attacks.

"One, two...!" Nanoha shouted over the roar of power.

"Thunder...!" Fate was more than ready. Intense lightning strikes came crashing down.

"Divine...!" Nanoha took careful aim.

"RAGE!" Fate completed her attack, the lightning strikes sizzled with enormous power.

"BUSTER!" Nanoha let the power rip through. Combined with Fate's Thunder Rage, both attacks managed to seal all of the Jewel Seeds.

"The remaining 6 Jewel Seeds have been confirmed as sealed!" Amy proclaimed back in the ship.

"W-What an unsystematic..." Chrono was beyond disbelief. Lindy was just speechless with her mouth wide open. The only sentence she said was, "But that was amazing."

Back at the site, the 6 Jewel Seeds rose from the ocean to where Nanoha and Fate were. The girls were silent for a moment and Nanoha finally realized something. Placing her hand over her heart, she said one sentence.

"I want us to be friends." Fate's eyes widened in surprise. Arf, Yūuno and Claire watched the touching gesture.

* * *

_Back on the ship..._

Alarms and sirens went off. The red Alert signs were everywhere.

"Dimensional interference?" Amy was scared. "A wide-area magical attack from another dimension is heading straight for them and us! Ah! Only six seconds until impact!" Purple lightning came crashing down and interfered with the controls. The ship was in turbulence.

At the ocean, the lightning sparked all over the place. It was dangerous.

"Sister?" Fate looked frightened.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha reached over and pulled Fate out of the way as lightning came crashing down, missing the Jewel Seeds by an inch.

"This is bad!" Claire quickly grabbed the Jewel Seeds and flew over to the girls, Arf and Yūuno right behind her.

"Here." Claire extended her paws, three Jewel Seeds in each. "This is Fate's half and the other is Nanoha's half." Everyone looked at her, Arf's expression was unreadable. It looked as though all of it should have been Fate's but, she didn't say a word.

"Now's not the time to argue, take them NOW! Bardiche! Raging Heart!" Claire commanded.

Sealing.

Sealing.

Each device took their fair share.

"NOOOOOOOO!" A screech could be heard. Every single person, no matter where they were, could hear. It sounded like a child's. "THOSE JEWELS SEEDS BELONG TO ME!"

"Look out!" Claire used her power to shove everyone aside as multiple lightning strikes rained down. It enclosed around her and all they could see is a huge round lightning cage. It was so bright, nothing could be seen within.

"Claire-chan!" Nanoha reached out but Yūuno held her back.

"Stop Nanoha. It's dangerous!" Nanoha wrestled out of his grip and gave him a wicked glance.

" Yūuno-kun. Is that anyway to treat your friend? Your partner?" Yūuno looked like he was ashamed of himself. Nanoha continued,"So many times has Claire risked her life for me and I have never once repaid her. Now is the time!" Giving the group one last glance, Nanoha flew into the round cage and disappeared.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope you love it! :D Please review and give this story some love and attention, it's really appreciated.

Oh and the cage, picture it as a bright, bright sun with electrical charge from the lightning. The thing is really hot and shocking, sparks do fly.


	11. Chapter 10: Fate's Decision

**A/N**: Chapter 10 of_ Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to all who have reviewed this story so far.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Fate's Decision**

_It's hot...so hot. I...can't...move my body. _Claire's mind was in shock. One moment she grabs the Jewel Seeds and gives them to Fate and Nanoha, the next moment she is surrounded in this cage and lightning bolts pierced her body at different angles. Nothing is working, her magic no longer exist within her prison. She felt as though she was floating, suspended in mid-air with lightning bolts protruding from her body. Oddly enough, she wasn't bleeding. Her blood wasn't flowing out, she deemed it unusual. Only her mind worked, the rest of her couldn't. _It's like I'm paralyzed from my head to my tail._ If her mind had an eye, it would have widened with surprise.

_Paralyzed? Paralysis? That's it! This attack isn't meant to kill, but to paralyze the opponent. This is bad, if I can't get out I'll be paralyzed for life! _Claire tried to wiggle her body parts, hoping that something besides her mind worked. Nothing. She sighed to herself. _Looks like I'll stay here...forever. _

"Claire-chan!"

_What the-? Nanoha? What's she doing here? _Claire's mind went into overdrive as Nanoha floated down to her. She could picture Nanoha's shocked expression since her eyes saw nothing.

"Claire-chan, how could this have happened? I'll get you out as soon as possible!" Nanoha quickly reached over.

_DON"T_ Claire's voice snapped within Nanoha's mind and she retracted her hand. The cat couldn't move at all, everything was frozen and she felt as though her mind was starting to slow down as well.

_Listen to me, Nanoha. This is urgent. _Claire's voice sounded as though she was starting to panic.

_ I'm listening. _Nanoha replied back, nervously waiting.

_I'm in a state of paralysis...well almost completely in a state of paralysis if you know what I mean. My blood still flows and my mind still works, everything else doesn't in fact I think my mind is starting to slow down. My magic is useless and it wouldn't take long before I'll be fully paralyzed for life. _

_ Claire-chan! _Nanoha immediately wrapped her arms around the cat, gripping tightly to the fur.

_Nanoha... stop...please. There's no use...leave now, I realized that this cage drains the magic flow. Technically it renders the enemy useless and once he or she dies, that's it...nothing else. _

_ No I won't give up! _Nanoha gripped the fur even tighter, knowing that Claire can't feel a thing. _For the time we spent together, you always protected me, Yūuno-kun as well. I...I can't bare to lose you. _

_ Nanoha..._Claire thought passionately. _She's willing to sacrifice herself to save me, even entering this void on which she has never experienced before in her life. I'm such a fool...A useless fool who makes friends worry too much. _

_ AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! _

_ Nanoha! _Claire's voice screeched as Nanoha reared back, looking at her hands. They were shaking violently, they wouldn't stop shaking.

_ Claire-chan, what's going on? _Nanoha asked, frightened.

_ It's already started...when you hugged me, my fur must have caused the lightning bolts in my body to make their way to your hands. This is bad, your paralysis has started, there isn't much time left. _

_ What are we going to do? _

_ Leave now Nanoha. You still have a chance, once your outside the paralysis would stop and you can ask Yūuno for some healing remedies._

_ What about you? _

_ Don't worry about me...save yourself first._

_ No, I want to stay with you!_

_ Nanoha...what good would it be if you were paralyzed? Go, I'll be fine, I promise._

_ But..._

_ Just GO! You still have something worth fighting for right? _Nanoha's mind flashed back to the time they met Fate and locked eyes with her. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than becoming friends with her. Claire smiled inwardly to herself.

_Go...Nanoha. Go be with her. I'm sure...that you will accomplish what ever you set your mind to. _

Nanoha became heart-wrenched at the cat's pleading tone and raced back out. _Don't worry Claire-chan, I'll come back and save you, I promise!_ Once she flew off, Claire's heart felt lighter, the burden of having her most precious friend becoming paralyzed lifted and she sighed.

_Nanoha...I'm...glad to have...met...a friend...like...you. _A silver tear fell from her eyes and her mind went blank completely, coming to a halt and nothing else occurred. It was silent.

* * *

_Outside..._

"Nanoha!"Yūuno raced to his friend, concern plastered all over his face. Arf and Fate looked up but held back from joining them.

"Yūuno-kun...please..." She looked at him sorrowfully. "Save her. She's on the verge of becoming fully paralyzed!"

"I'll do what I can!" Yūuno promised her. A ringing noised sound and he brought out a monitor. "What's up Amy?"

"Yūuno! It's...It's..." Amy sounded hysterical on the other end.

"Amy please calm down and tell me what happened." Yūuno instructed. Nothing happened then Amy continued.

"It's Claire-chan. We were tracking her heart pulsing and then her signal disappeared off our monitor, nothing has happened over the past 30 minutes. It's like she is..." Amy didn't even want to finish the sentence. The atmosphere felt heavy, nothing seemed to be alive. Yūuno felt as though he couldn't breathe, his head was downcast. Nanoha was quiet, really quiet. She felt as though the whole world shattered before her eyes and she gripped Raging Heart tightly til her knuckles turned white.

"No...it can't be...she's not..."

"Nanoha...calm down." Yūuno nervously reached out to touch her hand but she immediately brushed him off.

" Yūuno-kun, tell me how to save her!" Her eyes were brimming with tears but she was tempted to save her friend once more.

"But Nanoha...you heard Amy...they couldn't even detect a single pulse when you came back. Maybe she is already..."

" Yūuno-kun, do you actually accept that?"

"..."

"...Fine." Nanoha closed her eyes and turned away. "I'll do it myself."

"Nanoha wait!" Yūuno called out as Nanoha raced back into the cage and disappeared.

* * *

_In the cage..._

_Everything is on hold. Nothing is moving. What is up? What is down? I don't know. I don't care. Am I dead or am I still alive? I can't move. Darkness all around me. Such paradise, I never felt such despair before nor have I felt at peace in such a long time. Oh...there's the light. A blinding light enters my vision and I am standing in a beautiful meadow. The warm air plays with my hair, the grass tickles my feet. There's a pond full of fish, beautiful and intriguing. I dip my hand in and laugh because the water felt cold and some of the fish came to nibble on my fingers. This place...is my paradise and mine alone. No one is allowed to enter...no one._

"Claire-chan!" Nanoha floated down next to her, looking for signs of life. Sadly the cat was totally paralyzed, if she heard her name, she would have given a sign or replied back. Nanoha brushed the fur with her hand and she didn't feel the warmth she usually felt.

_Looks like you actually went didn't you? _Nanoha mournfully turned away for a bit. She delicately brushed tears away and paused, her eyes detected something. She turned back and leaned down next to the cat's chest and listened. Faintly just faintly she heard the silent beating of the heart.

_So that's how you do it._ Nanoha smiled. Claire slowed down her heart rate just enough to be alive but, by doing that her pulse rate disappeared from the monitors. Nanoha wrapped her arms around the cat and closed her eyes.

_Wait for me, Claire-chan. I'll get you out in no time. _

* * *

_Outside..._

" Yūuno-kun, Nanoha's pulse rate disappeared off the monitor!" Amy's voice sounded.

"What? How's that possible?" Yūuno closed his eyes and sighed. He stared at the lightning cage, debating on what to do. Arf looked at Fate and gestured with her head that they need to leave. Fate shook her head no and made her way to Yūuno.

"Let me handle this." She said. Yūuno looked at her and nodded.

"Anything...please bring them back." Fate smiled lightly and disappeared into the cage herself.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope you liked it!


	12. Chapter 11: Finally out

**A/N**: Chapter 11 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide._ Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Finally out**

Fate dropped down inside the cage, looking around for any signs of life. Since her attribute is lightning itself the cage doesn't faze her one bit. Her eyes widen in surprise and she hurried over to the forms of Claire and Nanoha, whose arms are around the cat. Both of them seemed dead like but Fate knew better. What Nanoha did was slowing her own breath to match the cat's and now both of them are in Claire's inner world, in a world where no one escapes.

_But not for long._ Fate narrows her eyes as she knelt on Claire's other side and wrapped her own arms around the cat.

_I'll get you guys out soon. Wait for me. _She closed her eyes and soon entered Claire's inner world.

"Fate's signal disappeared as well!" Amy leaned back in her seat, sighing. "What are those kids doing?"

"I must save them now!" Yūuno made a dash toward the cage but Arf held him back.

"Arf? What are you doing?"He struggled against her grip but he couldn't get free. Arf just shook her head.

"It's ok, you must believe in those three." Yūuno sighed and stared back. He clenched his hands in anger. All they could do is wait.

* * *

_Inside Claire's inner world..._

_Such a mellow temperature, it feels peaceful._ Fate's inner conscious fell through and landed in a meadow field. Flowers everywhere, a blue sky above her and a warm breeze. She looked around and saw the figures of two girls playing together. One of them had two brown pigtails and sparking blue eyes, the other one was her best friend Claire. Both of them looked so fun and smiled broadly, not caring on what was happening on the outside.

_I'm coming for you!_ Claire laughed as she tackled the other girl unexpectedly and they rolled across the ground, laughing.

_Mou, Claire-chan that wasn't nice. _The girl pouted lightly.

_The world isn't nice Nanoha. You just have to deal with it, or are you a big baby? _Claire snickered. Nanoha chased her, enraged at the insult of being called a baby. Fate watched the two of them, sadness in her eyes.

_They look so peaceful, it's no wonder they don't want to leave. But, if I don't get them out we'll never be able to leave this place and we'll stay here for the rest of our life. _Fate walked over and the two girls looked at her, smiling.

_It's Fate! It's Fate-chan! _Both of them romped over, stopping a few inches away and smiling.

_We need to leave, we can't stay here. _Fate sternly looked at the two. Exchanging glances the girls felt sorrow and didn't want to leave this place.

_But Fate-chan, don't you love this place? _Nanoha gestured at the lovely meadows and the sparkling pond with fish. _Why do we have to leave?_

_ That's right. _Claire chimed in._ This is paradise and we can live here forever, just the three of us with no one else. _

_ YOU TWO DON"T GET IT! _Fate stomps her foot in frustration. _WE NEED TO GO or have you forgotten what is happening in the REAL world? _

At that instant, Claire's inner world shattered and crumbled away, leaving the three of them floating in a dark space. Neither up nor down direction didn't matter, they were just suspended in mid-air.

_That's right. _Claire whispered, looking down. _I remember being paralyzed and I ended up in my inner world. It was so peaceful that I didn't want to leave. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. _

_ Me too. _Nanoha added. _ I wanted to save Claire-chan so I entered her inner world. When I arrived, I felt...happy and calm. Claire-chan was by the pond and she was happy. We had lots of fun, playing and running around. But now..._ Nanoha looked at Fate. _After you reminded us that the real world is nothing compared to our blissful happiness, I realized that we need to go back and save everyone. We have no time to joke around when other lives are at stake. Thanks...Fate-chan. _

_ How do we get out of here? We came in easily but it's difficult to get out. _

_ Leave that to me, everyone hold hands now. _The girls held hands together and Fate's magical circle appeared underneath them.

_Oh that's right, Fate-chan isn't affected by Alicia-chan's magic. When we tried to use our magic, it wouldn't work. _Nanoha sighed and Claire nodded, their magic types are different and therefore ineffective against Alicia's but, Fate's magic is the same type so they immediately cancel each other out.

_That's ok. I'm getting us out of here. Transfer! _The circle brightened and the darkness vanished. The three girls were instantly consumed by white light.

* * *

_Inside the cage..._

"W-What?" Claire's eyes moved and darted around. "Huh?" She moved around, shaking her limbs, twitching her ears, tail and whiskers. It seems the paralysis is gone, she can move again, no more lightning bolts. "The paralysis...it's gone!"

"W-Where...?" Nanoha shook her head and stood up, looking around.

"We're still in this cage but, I managed to nullify the paralysis." Fate said, standing beside them.

"Fate-chan!" Claire and Nanoha exclaimed excitedly, smiling. Fate backed up slightly, wearily watching them. She wasn't used to their cheerfulness and she didn't feel too comfortable in the happy atmosphere.

"Now, all we have to do is get out of here. Come on!" Nanoha grabbed the cat and took off.

"Nanoha...Wait!" Claire exclaimed before they hit the wall and bounced back down to Fate, who stared at them.

"What the-?" Nanoha felt the wall and found out it was made out of some rubber substance, a very crafted magic spell used to trap them in. "It's rubbery!"

"Let's try to bust out of here with magic. I know that Nanoha's magic will have no effect but, maybe with Fate's we have a chance of success." Claire sat in the middle, Fate and Nanoha stood in front.

"Raising Heart." Nanoha called forth.

Stand by. Ready.

"Bardiche." Fate joined in.

Yes sir.

"Power boosting support activate." Claire's magical circle appeared underneath. "Ready?"

"Divine..."Nanoha began to charge up power, aiming at a single point on the wall.

"Thunder..." Fate did the same thing, taking careful aim.

"Go!" Immediately, Claire's energy flowed into both of them, boosting their energy level.

"Buster!" Nanoha fired, the pink beam aiming towards her intended target.

"Rage!" Fate followed suit, her magic flew alongside Nanaoha's, the two intertwining. Soon the mass of pink and yellow swirling energy collided with their target. Neither one gave up and with Claire's boost magic, they managed to tear a huge hole, completely shattering Alicia's magic.

* * *

_Outside..._

"Look!" Yūuno and Arf looked excited as the cage shattered, leaving Nanoha, Fate and Claire hovering where it once stood. The girls looked at each other and smiled lightly. Claire sighed before being scooped up by Nanoha.

"Nanoha!" Yūuno raced over, grinning. Arf right behind him and she went to Fate's side.

"You're alive, that's great." Yūuno was bubbling with happiness. "But, I think Lindy is going to give us a huge lecture when we get back." At that, Nanoha and Claire's spirits plummeted and they bowed their heads in defeat.

"Just when I wanted to enjoy this mood a little longer." Nanoha turned to Fate and Arf. "Goodbye...Fate-chan...Arf-san." With that Yūuno, Nanoha and Claire went back to face Lindy's wrath. When they were gone, Fate turned to Arf.

"Let's go home...Arf."

"Yes Fate." Arf replied and the two of them disappeared back to the Garden of Time.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope you enjoyed it so far :D


	13. Chapter 12: Claire's rescue mission

**A/N**: Chapter 12 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes out for those who have reviewed the story so far.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Claire's rescue mission**

_On the Asura..._

Nanoha, Yūuno and Claire stood side by side as they waited for Lindy's punishment. The commander stared at them individually, debating on what to do. When the three of them arrived back, some of the medics did a check up on Claire and were pleased to announce that she has recovered enough from her previous injuries. They removed the little sling and Claire was able to walk on all four limbs now. She smiled and transformed back into her normal form. Nanoha was pleased for her, it was her second time seeing Claire-chan as a person and not an animal. Claire and Nanoha smiled at each other, finally being able to see with human eyes. The only drawback is that now when Claire is in her normal form, she would still have Arf's claw mark going down the right side of her face. Anyone who saw it would cringe immediately or try not to stare too much. Nanoha saddened and touched the mark lightly. It was healed to the best of medical ability but, it was permanently a scar now.

"Forget about it, I'm still the same old person whither I'm in cat form or human form. I will never change and what's done is done. There isn't anything you can do now so please, cheer up." Claire said, touching the mark herself.

When Yūuno transformed back, Nanoha's face became priceless. Her face reddened up and she would be flabbergasting about memories of the bath house and other places she took Yūuno to as they flashed through her mind. Claire snickered as the two of them fumbled with apologies. The three of them walked to the commander's room and now stood side by side in the presence of Commander Lindy, Chrono stood beside her as he gazed at the three of them.

"Following orders doesn't affect a single person, but an entire group of people. What I mean is that the selfish actions you took could have affected not only yourselves...but it could have also affected the people around you. I trust you understand?"

"Yes..." The three of them mumbled.

"If this were a normal case, you both could expect severe punishments, but...taking your magnificent results into account, we'll overlook your actions this time." The three children looked at each other in surprise.

"However I will not do this a second time. Do you understand?"

"Yes. We're sorry." The three spoke in unison. Claire glanced sideways as if thinking about something but she dismissed it. Her mind was still replaying the actions over the ocean and it bugged her for some reasons.

"Claire-chan, are you thinking about something?" Lindy asked as she saw the girl tilt her head in a confuse manner.

"No...sorry it's not important." She mumbled. Lindy looked skeptical but she dismissed the behavior.

"Now then...the big problem starts now, huh? Chrono, have you learned anything about the incident, even superficial data?" She asked her son.

"Yes. Amy, please transmit it to the monitor." He stepped forward.

"Yes, yes!" Came her reply over the intercom. The monitor flashed and brought out a photo of a woman, her purple hair and purple eyes staring. Her gown was purple as well.

"Oh, my!" Lindy gasped.

"Yes. The mage hailing from the same place as us, Midchilda. Precia Testarossa." Chrono said. "Her field of study is in the development of energy sources allowing one to traverse dimensional space. Despite being a great mage...she was involved in an accident while doing illegal research, and was thus exiled. The data we already have about her and the data from the magical assault earlier both match. And...that girl named Fate is most likely...her daughter."

"Fate-chan. Back then she said, "sister". Nanoha's mind went back to when she faced off against the girl and when the lightning struck them. "She sounded frightened."

"She said 'sister'..." Lindy looked puzzled. "Amy! Are you able to pull up any more details about this family?"

"Yes, yes. I'll look into it right away." Amy replied.

"Hmmmm..."Claire murmured to herself and turned on her heels.

"Claire-chan, where are you going?" Nanoha looked after the girl, surprised.

"Oh, uh...I want to check out something. I'll be back as soon as I can." Claire smiled and she left.

* * *

_Garden of Time..._

Lightning strikes became more violent as the sound of a whip sang through the air. It sounded crisp as it left it's onto the flesh of it's captured victim. Fate shivered as she hung from the ceiling, held by a bind. There were bruises and other wounds on her body. Alicia breathed heavy, her hand gripped the whip very tightly.

"Having that opportunity right in front of your face and squandering it, mindlessly ignoring them...!" Alicia growled.

"I'm...sorry..." Fate whispered.

"You're too cruel dear sister. Do you really want to fill me with grief?" Alicia raised the whip, ready for round 2 as Fate closed her eyes, preparing for some more torture.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

"Hmmm? A visitor at this hour?" Alicia lowered her arm. It was especially rare for someone to make it across the dimensions to reach this place.

"Come in visitor. The door is open." She said. A few minutes passed and finally something happened. The door rumbled and were forced from its hinges. A few more rumbles and the doors were blown away, smashing into the adjacent walls. The sound of footsteps stopped at the edge of the door frame.

"Cough, cough. Who do you think you are, blasting into my home like that? Speak up!" Alicia roared angrily, staring at the silhouette.

"You forgotten me already? I should have known my haunches were correct, ever since Fate uttered the word sister." The voice said as the footsteps stepped closer.

"Y-y-you? Who ARE you?" Alicia took a step back and Fate cracked her eyes open a bit. Turning her head, her eyes widened in surprise.

"...It's you isn't it? It really...is you Claire."

"Hmmm?" Claire lifted her head and her eyes met Fate's. They gazed at each other, something passed through them silently as though their old friendship was rekindled. Fate's eyes softened and then froze up as she saw the mark on the right side of Claire's face. She knew Arf did it in order to protect her and she felt as though Claire's face was ruined beyond repair.

"Claire...where have I heard that name?" Alicia pondered, thinking as she sat on her throne. Claire turned from Fate to give the older sister a look. A light bulb went off in Alicia's head and she smiled.

"Oh that's right. You were that filthy little kitty that Fate picked up weren't you? Staying by her side and always hiding when mother came around."

"I'm surprised you remembered that much. I'm honored." Claire replied as she did a mock bow. Alicia laughed.

"Oh such sweet childhood memories. Fate loved you so much when she was little and when you left, her world crumbled down." Alicia's eye went crazy wide. "It took mother and I everything we had to regain Fate's spirits but, the only thing she would mumble was the name of her best friend. It broke my heart but I strengthened my resolve to be a better sister. However..." Alicia looked up at her sister. "No matter what I did, Fate never paid attention to me or mother. No matter what new things I invented for us to play, Fate would always mumble something and walked away. When Fate doesn't show up for dinner, I would find her in mother's garden, staring at nothing. Her eyes were clouded and her mouth would be mumbling that one person's name."

"No...you're wrong..." Fate held back her tears. She didn't want to cause anyone pain nor does she want to remember those days of loneliness.

"Always Claire, Claire, Claire. I was getting so sick of it!" Alicia continued as she stared at her enemy. "At one point I really wanted to kill you, drown you, anything to keep you away from Fate. You always manage to evade me or stayed by Fate's side all the time so that I couldn't make my move. When you left, I knew my wish came true and that I could reunite my sisterly bond with Fate but because of you, she never returned to the once kind sister I once knew."

"..." Claire didn't say anything, just staring at her. Alicia was getting agitated for long lost corruption and grudge that lies within her breast from the time her childhood was ruined. On the inside, Claire felt sympathy for this person however, the one person who she truly cares for is in trouble.

"Now that you're here," Alicia pointed the whip in her direction. "I can finally kill you and redeem myself for mother and reclaim Fate as my own! No one will ever get in our way ever again!" Lightning flashed more brightly. "Where's Precia...Alicia?"

"Mother? Ha why do you ask? It's none of your business anyway but, if you really want to know...I Killed Her. It was so that I could claim her throne for my own good!" Claire closed her eyes silently as she listened to Alicia's words and reopened them.

" I see...why don't you let the past go Alicia? That grudge you have for so long kept within you has corrupted your mind."

"Shut up, I don't need your advice. I want you dead!" She snarled and she leaped into action. Claire met her halfway and magical forces collided. Fate gazed intently at the fight, her eyes moving back and forth quickly as the fighters moved around like little comets. The sizzle of lightning crackling filled the room, hissing and spitting. Alicia wasn't holding back, she was giving all she had just to kill the single person that stole the one precious person in her life.

"Fate!" Fate trained her eyes on Arf as she charged in, looking appalled at the destruction.

"Arf...quickly...free me!"

"On it." Arf swiped her claws and broke the chains, catching Fate on her back. They looked as the walls rumbled, lightning sparks and burst of magical release.

"Mind telling me what happened?"

"It...Claire..."

"What? That girl's here? Alone?" Arf looked surprised as she caught a glimpse of the girl in the shadows before she disappeared in the smoke of the fight. "Looks like I owe her an apology, I misjudged her."

"We all did. Now come on. We have to save her!" Arf took a step before Claire came flying back into the room, landing on her back. Blood ran from her forehead down and she has multiple bruises on her body. Alicia stumbled in, grasping her chest. She has multiple scratches and what looks like a cut lip and a black eye. Bruises were visible and when she walked, she had a little limp with it.

"Get up...pussycat!" She spat through her teeth as Claire wobbled to her feet, one eye was closed and she breathed heavily. Both girls stared at each other, Claire was full of compassion while Alicia was full of hatred.

"I underestimated you...you're much faster and stronger than Fate." Alicia murmured as she positioned herself.

"Hm?" Claire raised an eyebrow as Alicia lifted a finger. Lightning poured in through the cracks and started to collect into a huge energy ball.

"Oh crap...Fate we need to get out of here!" Arf turned around and bolted out.

"Arf, we need to go back, Claire's still in there!" Fate gripped the fur tightly, pulling her familiar to a halt. They were outside.

"Fate, as much as I love you, don't waste your time with the little things." Arf snapped her teeth, irritated.

"No you don't understand, that's-" They looked back as this explosion sounded. Chunks of cement and other items flew out. Claire's body soared out and she landed hard on the ground, rolling a bit before coming to a complete stop. Her clothes were dirty and ripped. A small pool of blood formed around her and she didn't move. Alicia walked out and smiled.

"How did you like that move? No one ever stands against my most ultimate attack, Plasma Cannon!" She grins but halts when she saw something.

"W-w-what? How can you still move? You should have DIED!" She hissed. Fate and Arf looked astonished as Claire's limbs started to move. An arm, the other arm, a leg, the other leg. Slowly but surely, Claire's back on her feet. She stared at nothing, her eyes were hazy and she teetered.

"Grrrrrrrrr Enough! Take this, Plasma Cannon number 2!" Alicia charged up the attack, aiming at her.

"Noooo!" Fate raced over, shielding Claire with her own body and glaring at Alicia.

"W-what? Not you too...fine then. Die along with her Fate, I NEVER liked you anyway! Fire!" The charged up energy flew straight as an arrow.

"Transfer!" Arf leaped in there and used her magic to transfer them out of there. The three of them were relocated somewhere else.

"No...No! No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Alicia lifted her head and screamed, all of her emotions pouring out from her past and it rattled her to the very core. She has chased away the only living relative from home and with her, her most hated enemy.

* * *

_On the Asura..._

"What? Claire-chan did what?" Nanoha exclaimed as she and Yūuno ran into the commander's room.

"She infiltrated the Garden of Time, tried to take on Alicia, got wounded and almost got killed if Fate and Arf didn't intervene." Lindy sighed and rubbed her temples. "I knew something was up when I saw her far-away gaze back in the room."

Why didn't I stop her? Nanoha thought. "Lindy-san, where are they now?"

"Hmmm...right now they are in some kind of park." Amy brought out a live look on the monitor on the area.

"Okay, I know where that is." Nanoha turned around. "Let's go Yūuno-kun!"

"Yes Nanoha." The two friends ran to the transportation module and warped there instantly.

* * *

_In a park..._

"Just...a little longer...come on!" Fate held Claire as Arf carried them to some access for fresh water.

"Fate, clean her wounds first." Arf allowed her raiders to get off and watched as Fate laid Claire gently on the ground. Claire's breathing was raspy and cold sweat was all over her face. Her limbs twitched and she clawed the air. Fate went to dip a nearby rag into the pond and placed it on Claire's forehead.

"She's running a fever..." Fate sighed as she sat by Claire's side.

"Claire-chan! Fate-chan! Arf-san!" A voice made them look up as Nanoha and Yūuno ran over.

"You're..." Fate's eyes lit up with remembrance. Nanoha knelt by Claire's side, worry plastered all over. She was in such a state.

"She's running a fever...she may not make it back to the ship." Yūuno looked at the time.

"Fate-chan, how did this happen?"

"She...she came to us." Fate adverted her gaze. "She traded blows with Alicia and when she was...about to die, Arf and I rushed to her aid."

"I see...thank you Fate-chan, for saving her." Nanoha bowed low.

"W-w-what are you doing? There' s no need to thank me." Fate rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Guys!" Yūuno sounded nervous. "If we don't give Claire medical treatment, she WILL die!"

"Are there any hospitals available now?" Nanoha asked. He shook his head no.

"Bring her to my home...I can help her." Fate stood up.

"Fate...is it ok? They are part of the TSAB, they'll capture us when our guard is down." Arf asked, a little on edge.

"It's fine...I trust them and I need to repay my debt to Claire. Let's go." Fate draped Claire over Arf's back and with Yūuno's help transferred them to her apartment.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Pheew, long chapter. Hoped you like it.


	14. Chapter 13: Claire's out of the TSAB!

**A/N**: Chapter 13 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to those who have reviewed so far.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Claire's out of the TSAB?**_  
_

_Fate's apartment..._

Nanoha and Yūuno sat in silence on the living room couch with Arf, who kept a stern eye on them. She kind of trust them but she kind of doesn't. They waited for a few minutes before the door opened and Fate sighed as she entered.

"Fate." Arf got up and walked over.

"Fate-chan...how's Claire-chan?" Nanoha asked as she and Yūuno joined them. Fate shook her head and sighed again. She ushered everyone back to the couch.

"She's fine...right now she's resting. Her fever is gone and I cleaned her wounds."

"I'm glad she's fine." Nanoha was really glad and relieved. Fate suggested that they stayed for the night which they agreed to do until Claire got better. They discussed many things and Arf started to lighten up towards them. _They are just kids...like Fate. _She smiled inwardly as she watched the three kids interact with one another. _Maybe...just maybe...this friendship will change our lives around. For so long since I met Fate, she was a distant girl. She warmed up to me though and we had fun. I didn't realize though, that friendship I have with Fate must be because of her past relationship with Claire. We aren't different now are we..._

"Arf?" Fate looked at her familiar puzzled.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing." Arf waved her arms with embarrassment. Fate continued to stare with doubt but passed it and decided to chat with the other two. Arf breathed a sigh, lucky that Fate couldn't read her mind.

"I'm gonna go check on the cat ok? You three have fun." Arf got up and left the three of them to chat, making her way to the guest room. Peeking in she saw the sleeping girl wrapped in multiple bandages and other medical items. Arf sat in a chair next to her and smiled. _This girl risked her life for Fate, their friendship rekindling. I now see what kind of monster that Alicia is. Had Claire not rescued Fate then, I don't even want to think about it... _Arf glared angrily for not stopping Alicia. She trusted Alicia because she was the oldest and as the oldest, she had the responsibility to look after Fate with love and care. Instead, Alicia went bonkers and almost killed them. Her words rang through Arf's mind, loud and clear as she clearly stated her hatred.

_ "W-what? Not you too...fine then. Die along with her Fate, I NEVER liked you anyway! Fire!" The charged up energy flew straight as an arrow. _That image replayed over and over, Arf just couldn't get it out of her head.

"uuurgh...my head..." A croaky voice muttered.

"Claire! How are you feeling?" Arf's ears shot straight up as she leaned over. Claire cracked her eyes open and sighed.

"Arf? I see...Fate's apartment...my head hurts." Arf helped her into a sitting position before calling everyone. They immediately swarmed in and gathered around the bed. Laughing and crying everyone was happy. Nanoha was scolding her, Yūuno and Arf gave each other high-fives and Fate was busy hugging Claire while wiping away a tear. Claire smiled happily and assured everyone that she would never ever pull another dangerous stunt without their permission. Everyone was glad they had their best friend back. They filled her in on some minor details and other stuff that happened while she was unconscious.

"I'm sorry for acting on my own." Claire hung her head. "It was selfish of me and it hindered the team."

"It's ok, we were just worried. That was very brave of you to help Fate-chan." Nanoha replied.

Incoming Message, my master. Raging Heart beeped before pulling up the big screen. Claire tapped the button and Lindy's face showed up. She looked a little edgy beyond recognition, it was like she got into a fight or something like that.

"Commander Lindy..." Claire weakly but determinedly raised her hand in salute, eyes trained on her commander. Lindy sternly leaned forward.

"Claire, you have disobeyed my orders by that action of rescuing the enemy and almost getting hurt or maybe even killed. Didn't I tell you that I forbid anymore actions like that?"

"Yes maam." Claire replied, recalling that time Lindy was informing them after their encounter with Fate over the ocean that it was not a tolerated action. That was the only time, she allowed it to pass but she never wanted to see it again.

"I was just in a conference meeting and...well I guess you know what happened. By order of the TSAB council and supreme leaders, you are no longer with the TSAB. You will pack your bags and leave tomorrow morning. If we find you among our ranks, we will put you under arrest as a criminal. Is that understood?"

Everyone's faces were shocked as lightning flashed outside, lighting up Claire's bleak expression before she closed her eyes.

"...yes maam."

"Furthermore, Nanoha and Yūuno are to come back immediately." The monitor went blank and there was silence.

"..H-How could this have happened?" Yūuno weakly sputtered out. In the history of history, the TSAB never once had to get rid of a member. Claire was the first one ever to do so and she didn't do anything wrong.

"It's all my fault...no one is to blame...the actions I did must come with consequences...let's go..." Claire murmured as she slowly got up to walk to the door.

"Claire-chan..."

"Claire..."

"You can't give up that easy cat. What happened to that whole gusto attitude you had when you attacked Alicia? That kind of courage and bravery can't have you expelled out of the TSAB that easily!"

"...that has already gone Arf..." She turned to the woman, expression blank. "This is not the same, I must atone to my actions. What's done is done, like this scar on my face." She slowly raised a hand to touch the mark on the right-side of her face. "Things will never change...like I said...what's done...is done." She turned the doorknob and left the room. Fate broke down crying, unable to understand why it had to happen like this.

"Lindy-san has gone too far!" Nanoha yelled, dragging Yūuno after her. "Wait here Fate-chan, Yūuno-kun and I will try to get Lindy-san to change her opinion!" They left, leaving Arf and Fate in the room alone.

"Nanoha, the TSAB council and supreme leaders are hard to persuade." Yūuno grumbled as he followed the girl. "Their word is law and no one can defy them!"

"They can and they will." Nanoha whirled on him. "I will not stand by and let Claire leave the only thing that mattered to her the most! Let's go, Claire-chan is already back on the ship." Yūuno conjured up a spell and warped them back.

* * *

_On the Asura..._

Claire wasn't thinking, her arms did the work of loading her belongings in a mid-size suitcase. She barely knew what was going on around her, the only thing she knew was that she had been kicked out...for doing something out of her own selflessness. When she returned, everyone jeered and laughed, saying rude things and it didn't faze her. The taunting and jeering followed her down the halls and wouldn't go away.

_It doesn't matter...I'm leaving...it's like a farewell gift from them._ She faintly smiled as she got everything in order. Her once beloved room is now empty besides the furniture. It was just blank, no color, no happiness, no love. It was empty like her heart. Leaving her room she made her way to the main office and turned over her badge, her uniform and her license to be an officer. She was friends with the office people and they were upset that she had to leave.

"It's ok...I'll be fine..." She would say, smiled and walked away with her belongings. The office would bawl in tears and wish her luck. She pasted the administration office and heard some really loud arguing. She stopped slightly, tuning in to what was going on.

* * *

_In the administration office..._

"Lindy-san, that was a really HARSH punishment! It's UNACCEPTABLE!" Nanoha planted her foot on the floor stubbornly, glaring at the commander. Yūuno stood right beside her just in case he needed to be used as back up. Chrono watched from the sidelines. "Forgive me for being out of line but, Claire-chan is by far the BEST of the BEST among your subordinates and you are really gonna let her go?"

"Nanoha-chan, you are a guest on this ship or have you forgotten?" Lindy replied calmly. "What Claire did was on her own accord, her judgment went against my orders according to the council and supreme leaders and therefore her punishment has to be severe."

"But did it have to be THAT severe...she did what she did to save a friend." Nanoha objected.

"A friend who in turn is our worst enemy. I won't allow that kind of act ruin the TSAB record and tarnish our name."

"Is the TSAB more important to you than your own subordinate? More than having the best of the best walk beside you, to guide you?"

"As much as I want to believe you Nanoha-chan, what's done is done. It is completely out of my hands." Lindy sighed. "Besides you need to go back to school right?"

"...uh..." Nanoha completely forgot about school.

"I'll go get you arrival back to Earth ready." Lindy got up. "A word of warning...if we see any evidence of Claire in your house or in your vicinity, we WILL come to arrest her along with your family members, councils orders." She left with Nanoha and Yūuno standing there with their mouths opened.

Nanoha grumpily left the room with Yūuno before spotting the person she wanted to see, retreating down the hallway.

"Claire-chan!" She called out. Claire paused, standing really still as Nanoha and Yūuno walked up to her.

"Nanoha... Yūuno..." She looked at them with eyes that didn't seem to belong to her. They were obscured with emotions and they didn't focus right.

"Claire-chan...I'm sorry. We tried our best to persuade Lindy-san on getting you back."

"It's...ok really." Claire sighed before pulling her best friends into a hug. "My times in the TSAB was fun and I really enjoyed ever little bit of it. Thanks...for being there for me."

"Good luck Claire-chan. I hope we'll see each other later down the road...I just wish that this situation never turned out like this." Nanoha whimpered as she tightened the embrace. Claire let silent tears fall and Yūuno tried to keep from bawling. They stayed like this until someone told them that they need to break it up.

"Well...this is goodbye for now." Claire grabbed her things and glanced back at them, smiling. "See yea."

"Don't go Claire-chan...you were and still are my irreplaceable partner." Yūuno uttered out.

"We'll figure out a way for you to return someday..." Nanoha added. Claire shook her head.

"Thanks...I'll probably stay far away as possible. When the time comes and you're in trouble, I'll be there. I promise." Claire stepped through the doors and glanced back one more time. Yūuno was trying his best to calm down a almost wailing Nanoha. She smiled one last time and disappeared.

* * *

_Next few days..._

The following days after Claire left, the atmosphere on the Asura became different. Everyone could feel it, the happy emotions were just sucked right out. No one greeted each other, always wearing somber faces to work, looking down instead of eye contact. The office employees were like moving zombies, greeting everyone with dead responses. Lindy stayed in her office for long periods of time, Chrono and Amy were in research mode at the library, Yūuno usually helps them but he is away on a business trip. Nanoha returned to school and she tried to be cheerful but Suzuka and Arisa noticed the change. Fate and Arf stayed in their secluded home, silent and unmoving. Arf did her best to get Fate to eat or drink because she hasn't touched anything after hearing Claire's verdict. Arf would call Nanoha and have her come over to keep Fate company when she has some business trips with Yūuno. The girls never talked much and with Claire gone, there was absolutely nothing to talk about. Their friend was gone and no one can locate her, it was like she never existed.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hope you liked it.


	15. Chapter 14: Alicia Attacks!

**A/N**: Chapter 14 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to those who have reviewed so far and gave this story some love and attention.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Alicia Attacks!**

_Garden of Time..._

"Sooooo they have gotten rid of the kitty huh?" Alicia chuckled as she watched the action through her magic mirror. She got up from her throne and walked to the bedroom, gleefully rubbing her hands together. "This is such perfect opportunity!" Rummaging around, she gathered some items and trotted by to her throne room. "They would never suspect what's gonna come their way...I'll blow them to smithereens!" She looked back into the magic mirror, "And with that cat gone, I can finally reunite with Fate once more...wait...I can't do that now can I?" She murmured to herself as to recall the last fight they had. "Oh well, her loss is my gain...it's about time to show them who is the most powerful mage of all time!"

* * *

_On the Asura..._

Gloomy and depressing is the best way to describe the mood on this entire ship. No spark, no nothing. Everyone was dragging their feet on the floor, no talking, no greetings. They move around as though their brain died, they are like the living zombies. Chrono and Yūuno indulged themselves in the library, not really concerned with the depression that's happening outside the walls of their solitude confinement. Amy would drop in once in awhile, looking gloomy. She said Lindy locked herself in her room, muttering about something. Yūuno guessed that Lindy herself was starting to realize that Claire was a prized recruit and getting rid of her was a mistake on the council's part. Sometimes Lindy would walk out and there would be dark bags underneath her eyes or sometimes her eyes are red and puffy from crying so hard.

"As Claire says, what's done is done." Amy shook her head and left the boys in the library.

"Yūuno-kun, why don't you go with Nanoha for a bit." Chrono looked at the ferret changeling. "I'm sure she'll enjoy your company."

"Alright." Yūuno stacked the books on a shelf before going to the door. "I'll go right now." He smiled and left. Chrono finished up whatever he was doing in the library and went to go visit his mom in the control room. This morning Lindy didn't want to lock herself in for an extended period of time so she decided to stay in the control room. When Chrono entered, his mom was staring at a blank monitor.

"Mo- Commander Lindy?" He walked up, looking at her with concern.

"Oh, Chrono." Lindy smiled and continued to stare at the monitor. " I was thinking about how Claire would always cheer everyone with this pep-talk or cheer thing. Even if it was stupid, everyone would smile. This ship was always a fun place to be. Now that she's gone, this whole ship lost its happiness. Tell me Chrono, where did I go wrong?"

"...I believe that you didn't trust her enough, as well as covering her back. You should have gone against the council and the supreme leaders because Claire is, as Nanoha said, the BEST of the BEST."

"...thanks honey..." Lindy sighed and fell into a deep thinking mode. Frankly, the ship never felt despair in a long time.

* * *

_Nanoha's place..._

"Yūuno-kun...did Chrono-kun send you?" Nanoha asked as she let the ferret in. It was about 4:00 pm so Yūuno decided to stay a bit until he is called back to duty.

"That's right. He was worried about us after...you know."

"Yeah...what do you think she's doing right now?"

"If I was in her sneakers, I would probably be in hiding or getting some money from a part-time job. Don't worry Nanoha, I'm sure Claire is doing fine."

"I hope you're right." Nanoha smiled as her mom called her down to dinner. Grabbing Yūuno before he could plead to stay upstairs and not show up, Nanoha tromped downstairs and Miyuki immediately grabbed the ferret, cooing and held him close. Nanoha didn't tell her family about this whole TSAB situation, it was her little secret. She munched silently as she watched Miyuki spoon feed Yūuno, who seemed to enjoy the attention. After dinner, Nanoha and Yūuno went back to the room and they both sighed. Claire's absent presence not only stressed them out, it also brought a depressing atmosphere. The only reason Claire was staying away was because Raging Heart has a monitor linked back to the Asura and because Lindy specifically stated that Claire would be arrested and who ever was helping her go into hiding.

* * *

_Fate's apartment..._

Fate's mood didn't light up one bit. Arf tried her best to cheer her up but Fate never paid attention. She would keep muttering, "I'm sorry." so many times that Arf had to persuade her that it wasn't Fate's fault Claire disappeared.

"but, it was my fault Arf...if I wasn't in trouble or even better never MET Claire in the first place, Alicia wouldn't hate me...that TSAB woman wouldn't have banished her." Fate sat on the couch, muttering to herself.

"Honestly Fate, your thinking too much. I'm sure Claire is doing fine wherever she is." Arf sat next to the girl and gave her a hug. Fate smiled lightly and sighed.

"Do you think she'll come back soon?"

"That depends on the situation, maybe she will maybe she won't. Place your fate in her and maybe she will come back." Arf smiled.

"I believe Arf and I really do hope she comes back." Fate murmured as she rested on Arf's shoulder. Arf smiled before the hair on her head raised in the air immediately. The skies darkened and lightning flashed multiple times, lighting up the city. The building shook as the ground heaved on unstable grounds and thunder roared.

"Duck Fate!" Arf pulled Fate to the floor as the windows smashed into little pieces.

"FATE TESTAROSSA, I HAVE COME TO CLAIM MY DEBT!" Alicia's voice boomed from outside.

"...sis." Fate murmured.

"LUCK HAS CHOSEN MY SIDE AND THAT KITTY WOULDN'T BE HERE TO SAVE YOU THIS TIME." Alicia continued, "I DOUBT YOU WOULD PROVE TO BE ANY THREAT TO ME WITHOUT HER!" That taunt rubbed Fate the wrong for she gripped Bardiche til her knuckles turned white.

"Fate, don't do this..." Arf looked at her with concern but she already knew what Fate is about to do.

"Arf...even if she is my sister, I won't allow her to disrespect me that way. Bardiche, set up."

Set up. The mechanism beeped. Putting him in scythe form, Fate rushed out to battle and soon sparks started flying.

"I need to support her the best I can. Alicia must not win this time around!" Arf growled as she rushed out to help.

* * *

_On the Asura..._

"Alicia Testarossa just attacked Fate's apartment." Amy sounded the alarm as her fingers graced the keypad. Chrono bit his lip as he watched the clashes on the monitor.

"Amy, contact Nanoha and Yūuno immediately." Lindy commanded. Another monitor showed up and Nanoha's sleepy head appeared.

"...L-lindy-san? It's 8:00 and I'm tired."

"Nanoha-chan, now's not the time. Fate needs your help!"

"W-w-what?! Fate-chan needs help?!" Snapping out of her sleep, Nanoha dressed quickly and rushed out of the house with Yūuno on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Alicia Testarossa attacked her apartment home and right now she is holding on pretty well. Arf is with Fate and they seem to have everything under control but, you can't be safe. Go and assist her if you can."

"Roger, I'm on my way. Raging Heart, Set Up!"

Stand by. Ready.

Nanoha flew off towards the fighting area.

_Hang on Fate-chan, I'm coming soon!_

* * *

_Somewhere else within the city..._

"Hmmmmm...so she struck first?" A shadow silhouette watched the flashes of lightning and the rumbling of thunder in the distance. "I have to hand it to Alicia, striking out first takes courage and guts...however.." A gleam of teeth flashed. "Fate hasn't backed down yet. I look forward to meeting you all again and...having my rematch with that spoiled princess. Her reign of terror is about to collapse...for good." The silhouette got up and disappeared into the bushes.

* * *

**A/N**: Done with this chapter. Anyone want to guess who's silhouette that was? Stick around to find out! :D


	16. Chapter 15: Claire's return

**A/N**: Chapter 15 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to Revengest and ZonaRose for reviewing and giving this story some love and attention.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Claire's return**

High above the city, Arf and Fate battled against Alicia, who has become a psychopath and literally lost her mind because she started laughing like a maniac. Pedestrians below started running for cover when lightning flashed across the sky.

"Fire." Fate commanded as she did her attack, Photon Lancer. Small photon spheres appeared in the sky and flew toward their target. Alicia grinned widely as she watched the spheres flying closer. Using her own magic, she deflected them all and fired her own Photon Lancer back at Fate.

Fate protected herself against the onslaught, her speed helped a lot though sometimes she resorts to acrobatic maneuvers. Arf is on support role, using her magic to heal and defend. She would changed roles and try to attack Alicia with hand-to-hand combat. Alicia yawned with boredom as she parried each blow with her staff.

"Honestly Fate...when did you become this weak?" Alicia asked as she brushed Arf off with a simple flick of her wrist. Fate gritted her teeth with anger. Alicia sighed and wiggled her finger.

"My dear Fate, there is no way you can defeat me. With this level of skill, I have no clue why mother sees potential in you. If you want my piece of thought, I think mother's judgment was wrong. You're nothing more than a mere girl with low-level magic skill."

"Alicia...the fact that we are sisters shames me to the core. Sisters aren't suppose to act this way." Fate replied, gripping Bardiche tightly.

"Ha, you think you're a shame? Look at what I have to go through." Alicia's eyes widened. "Ever since that kitty left, you were nothing more than a limp rag doll, always muttering , always gazing into space and always avoiding others. Every time I want to spend time with you, play with you etc. etc. you would walk away and when you glanced at me, you never see me. Your eyes were clouded with emotions and it took you a few years to come back to your rightful self."

"What gives you the right to boss me around? I am a human, not yours to own. Things change Alicia." Fate stated.

"What if I don't want change Fate? Why can't things be the way they are, just you and me?"

"Everything that belongs in the past, belongs in the past. Alicia, things change and if you can't accept that then there is no way I can help you."

"...you're wrong Fate. I have accepted the change...what I can't accept is that your mind is still stuck on someone else and not on your own family. Maybe it is you, Fate who is stuck in the past."

"I have long since forgotten my past. Let's finish this battle."

"Very well then, I'll prove how wrong you are!" Alicia lifted her index finger and Fate realized immediately what attack that was about to happen.

"Bardiche, Barrier Jacket."

_Barrier Jacket. _

_I hope this works. _Fate thought as she gripped Bardiche tightly.

"Let's see if you can stand this, Plasma Cannon!" A burst of energy exploded from her fingertip and Fate summoned a barrier to protected her. The blast collided with the barrier and sent magnitudes of shock waves across the city. Building windows shattered, car alarms went off, lamppost and trees toppled over. When the attack subsided, Fate breathed heavily, allowing the shock waves to finish rattling her body.

"So you managed to deflect that attack?" Fate glared at Alicia who floated there smirking.

"If Claire can withstand your attack, then so can I."

"Claire! Claire! Claire! See?! You're still thinking about that cat...If I can't have you, NO ONE can! Alright Fate, this is the last straw." Alicia pointed her index finger and started charging up energy. "Take this, Plasma Cannon #2!" The cannon blast fired, spinning towards Fate. Arf stepped in and put up a barrier between the two of them. She strained a little because Plasma Cannon #2 is a lot more powerful than #1. Just when Arf's barrier was about to shatter...

_Protection. _

A pink barrier magic circle appeared to boost Arf's defenses.

"What–? Who's there?!" Alicia looked around with confusion.

"It's her!" Arf smiled as Nanoha appeared with Yūuno on her shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late." Nanoha apologized.

"We got the call so here we are." Yūuno added as he hopped onto Arf's shoulder.

"...thanks." Fate said as Raging Heart gave Bardiche some boost. Both girls nodded their heads and stood ready for Alicia's attack. Arf and Yūuno stood ready as back up.

"So this is the infamous Nanoha Takamachi." Alicia mused lightly. "Taking on you two would be great training for me since you both are so inferior to my skills. Don't disappoint me."

"Let's go Raging Heart."

"Bardiche."

_Stand by. Ready._

_Get set._

* * *

The three of them clashed and the battle resumed. Multiple shock waves emerged and some of the buildings actually came tumbling down. Both Fate and Nanoha managed to push Alicia a little but their luck ran out fast.

"Enough!" Alicia blocked Nanoha's Axel Shooter and Fate's Arc Saber, snarling angrily. "I seem to have underestimated you two. This is far as you go!" The skies rumbled darkly, lightning flashed downwards with snake-like stealth. Murmuring some ancient chant, Alicia held both of her arms above her head, her staff welded in her right hand.

"If you thought Plasma Cannon was my final attack, you are dead wrong." Lightning strikes tumbled downwards and swirled into a compressed ball above her head.

"Get ready Fate-chan." Nanoha whispered.

"Mmmhmm." Fate replied.

"HERE YOU GO, SEE IF YOU CAN STAND THIS ATTACK! FUSION BOLT!" Alicia hurled the compressed ball toward her opponents. The ball released the energy stored with in it and it exploded like an Atomic Bomb, the massive energy swirling in a circle as it expanded in dimension. The city bent underneath the intense power. From outer space it looked as though the Earth grew a pimple-sized wort. The blast could be felt within a 100 mile radius, technically this attack was huge. Everything scattered; dust, debris and people. Other countries issued a massive dust storm warning.

"Ha Ha Ha." Alicia laughed with victory but stopped short when Nanoha and Fate came into view. The blast surprised them and they managed to put a barrier to absorb some of the impact. On their knees, they breathed heavily while using their devices as support.

_Are you ok, my master? _

_ Sir? _

"Haa...haa...I'm ok Raging Heart." Nanoha gave her device a smile while Fate nodded her head with agreement.

"No...that's not possible..." Alicia stared wide-eyed. "You're suppose to be dead by now...how..." Anger grew within her and she charged up another attack. "I'll wipe you two out right now. Plasma Cannon!"

_She has that much energy to release two attacks at once?! She's a monster._ "Fate-chan!" Nanoha quickly stumbled over, kneeling beside the other girl. The blast was coming in fast and both Nanoha and Fate tried to conjure up barriers but the last attack drained most of their strength and they couldn't summon anything. Yūuno and Arf were nowhere near because that last attack blew them away. When the last glimmer of hope seems lost, a savior showed up at the last-minute.

"Kitty Cannon!"

A beam of energy flew across the sky in the shape of a cat and intercepted the Plasma Cannon blast, nullifying the attack.

"Looks like I showed up just in time." A voice sounded right behind Nanoha and Fate. Both of them looked up immediately with tears forming in their eyes. They couldn't believe their eyes, there was absolutely no mistaking those Anti-Hero shoes, the tank-top and rip jeans, that goofy grin, that voice and most of all, that claw mark on the right side of her face.

"Claire-chan!"

* * *

**A/N**: Dun dun dun. Claire is back in action! Oh and if you were wondering who's silhouette that was back in chapter 14, it was Claire's kitty form! ^.^v


	17. Chapter 16: Alicia's Last Gift

**A/N:** Chapter 16 of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha: Fates Collide_. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks go to those who have reviewed this story: Revengest and ZonaRose.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Alicia's Last Gift**

"Claire-chan!"

Claire smiled and knelt beside Nanoha and Fate, embracing them. "I'm here...Nanoha...Fate..."

"Where did you go...after you know...that incident?" Nanoha asked her.

"After I left, I went to my secret hideout and stayed there until I heard that Alicia was on the move. Since I'm not a member anymore, I can do things of my own accord."

"I'm glad you're back..." Fate said, smiling a little. Claire gave her a nod of the head.

"So am I...oh by the way, I brought you two something while I was on my way here." Fate and Nanoha's eyes widened as Arf and Yūuno showed up behind Claire.

"Sorry about our late arrival, we were blown away from the last attack and ended up in different areas. Claire found us and the three of us rushed back to help you guys. Looks like Claire got here first, like always." Yūuno scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Almost every race, no matter who she was up against, Claire always win.

"What's the plan now?" Arf asked, looking at Claire.

"Right now, this is Nanoha and Fate's fight against Alicia." Claire said, thinking deeply. "Our goal now is the hold Alicia in place for their last attack. Here's what we do first..." With that Claire ran through the plan with everyone. Alicia waited patiently for them to finish, which wasn't usually her style of fighting. The smile on her face says that he already foreshadows victory. She didn't want to waste too much energy against this group of amateur mages.

"You kiddies done yet? I'm missing my spa moment, my nails need to be clipped and painted, my skin needs to be silky soft and my hair beautifully shiny."

"Look here you spoiled brat..." Claire stomped her feet with anger, "You are about to witness the power friendship has...today, you will be defeated."

"Friendship? HA don't make me laugh." Alicia gripped her staff tightly. "Friendship is only for gullible nincompoops who are weak. They need friendship in order to feel better about themselves, to feel...whole, to feel like they belong somewhere. Those who value friendship are nothing more than useless, weak hearted and clueless people."

"And that's where you are wrong..." Claire sighed while shaking her head, "We'll show you, what it means to value friendship!"

"I've heard enough out of you!" Alicia snarls angrily. "Why don't you just die!"

"I won't die until you are defeated Alicia!" With that, the battle resumed. Alicia was dodging a lot of attacks while releasing her own. Nanoha and Fate were the first wave, followed by Yūuno and Arf. Claire brought up the last attack, attacking with everything she's got. The first step in Claire's plan was to make sure Alicia runs out of energy. Remember how I said that Alicia was waiting patiently? That's not the case, she was recharging power.

"That's when we strike..." Claire said to the group before the battle. "Alicia isn't patiently waiting, she's recharging power. After she unleashes Fusion Bolt and Plasma Cannon, she'll run out of steam, that's when we attack!" The group kept up their attacks, making sure that Alicia gets annoyed enough to blow them to bits. Fortunately that worked because Alicia's patience ran out. She was tired of the wimpy attacks and formations and so she unleashed both attacks one after the other, getting tired really fast.

_Now's our chance._ "Arf! Yūuno!" Claire commanded.

"We're on it. Magical Binds!" Both of them summoned binds to keep Alicia still as she struggled against them, some energy still left within her. Claire, Nanoha and Fate put some distance between them and Alicia.

"Let's go...Raging Heart."

"Bardiche."

Stand by. Ready.

Yes sir.

"The last attack will be the last one." Nanoha lowered Raging Heart, a flame of courage burned within her eyes.

"This is your judgment call...Alicia." Fate followed suit, Bardiche in hand.

"We'll win this battle once and for all." Claire added, positioning herself behind her two friends. Three magical spell circles appeared underneath their owners. Seeing them together once more made Alicia see red. She bucked and struggled more violently against the binds. Arf and Yūuno gritted their teeth in an effort to keep the binds within check.

"Raging Heart."

Alright my master. Starlight Breaker.

"Bardiche."

Yes sir. Spark End.

Both attacks began to charge up, their brilliant colors were blinding.

"Don't Underestimate me weaklings!" Alicia crowed out as she struggled harder.

"Stay still..." Arf hissed as she and Yūuno strained to hold the bucking girl in place.

"Ready?" Nanoha gave Fate a look and got a head nod in response. "Let's go Raging Heart...maximum power."

"Spark End...full power." Fate allowed phalanx spheres to take the shape of a lance, pulling her arm back in preparation to throw her attack.

"Go! Power Boost Full Throttle!" Claire summoned her power boost, allowing all of her energy to flow to Nanoha, Fate, Arf and Yūuno. The binds around Alicia were stronger and held on much better.

"STARLIGHT BREAKER!"

"SPARK END!"

A beam of pink energy flew across the sky followed by a lightning lance. Both attacks were boosted by power as they approached their target. Alicia's eyes widened with surprise then softened as the wave of both attacks rattled her body. The emotions carried within those attacks blew her mind. Sorrow, Happiness, Joy...these feelings were the feelings Alicia abandoned a long time ago but most of all...friendship.

_So this is what they call Friendship? It's a...blissful feeling. _Alicia allowed the power to overflow around her, the world starting to crumble away. _For so long, my eyes have been clouded by hate, hatred for Fate, hatred for everyone. I killed mom because of my own selfishness of wanting the throne so badly. I attacked my family because of it...if I could turn back the clock...if only I could...maybe things wouldn't turn out this way. Is this a necklace? Oh I remember, Fate made it for me...I should keep it with me in death...Ahhhh who am I kidding?This is the end...goodbye then...Fate...I was wrong about everything. You were right, this last attack...was indeed my judgment call. I hope that one day...I'll be able to be by your side once more. This necklace is yours now, take care! _With that, Alicia closed her eyes and disappeared, her body dissolving into nothing. Nanoha and Fate watched as the attacks vanished into thin air. Nothing remained besides the scars of battle.

* * *

"W-we did it. We won!" Arf stated with awe. All five friends stood in silence, allowing their minds to process what just happened.

"What's that?" Claire pointed as something shiny floated down. Fate held out her hand and caught the item.

"This is...Alicia's necklace." Fate whispered. Unknown to Precia, Alicia always wore a necklace underneath her clothes. Fate made it for her sister in secret and when she gave it to Alicia on her birthday, her older sister loved it. Shaped like a small phoenix, Fate imagined her sister as a phoenix, able to fly the skies above and resurrect from the ashes. Alicia loved it and she wore it ever since. Sometimes she would forget it's around her neck and failed to notice the jewelry since it was small. After she went haywire, the jewelry vanished from her mind and she forgot she was wearing it completely. It was only at the last moment that she realized that it was around her neck.

_Alicia..._Fate felt tears pouring down her face. _Even when you faced death head on, you held on to this necklace...you refused to let it go...thank you...for holding on to this necklace for so long. I'll keep it in memory of you forever. _

"Let's go...Fate-chan." Nanoha placed a hand on Fate's shoulder comforting. "We can make Alicia-chan a grave marker in remembrance."

"...Yeah...I'm sure she'll love that." Fate wiped her eyes and followed everyone back to the Asura since Lindy was watching the battle and wanted to congratulate them. When they arrived, the crew members threw a huge celebration party. Everyone had a great time. Claire hung back from joining in, a little nervous but Lindy and the supreme leaders begged her to return to the TSAB, not as an officer but instead as a lieutenant. She turned down the offer because she wanted to be beside Nanoha and Fate in rank. In her mind, friends are more important than rank and Claire planted her foot down when the superiors tried to change her mind.

"I'm staying by my friends and that is final. If you want to promote me, than you promote everyone else as well. We stick together and that's final." Claire ended that conversation and joined the party, conversing with the crew who were happy that she returned. The phoenix necklace now hangs around Fate's neck and everyone danced the night away.

* * *

**A/N**: Done. Hoped it was fine. Sorry the battle wasn't long but, it'll have to do. :D


	18. Epilogue

**A/N**: Epilogue of _Magical Lyrical Nanoha_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Magical Lyrical Nanoha belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks goes to Revengest and ZonaRose for reviewing.

* * *

**Epilogue**

After the party, everyone had a hangover...a really huge hangover. Fate and Nanoha had to drag a drunken Claire, Yūuno and Arf back to the room while avoiding their wild antics.

"I luff ru..." Claire slurred as she reached over and shockingly pressed Fate's lips against her own. Fate's eyes bugged out as the smooching continued.

"What the–?" Arf and Yūuno looked at the scene stupidly.

_Snap. _A vein inside Nanoha's head popped loudly as she donned her barrier jacket. Fate sweat-dropped as she realized the dangerous aura coming off of Nanoha and she looked at the approaching girl.

"W-w-w-wait a minute N-n-nanoha...Claire-chan isn't herself." Fate tried to protect her drunken friend from being obliterated by a Starlight Breaker.

"Fate-chan...is MINE you hear?!" Nanoha hissed at the drunken girl, who was swooning after the kiss.

"Aye sir!" Claire mocked solute before she fell over unconscious from the alcohol.

_Did Nanoha...just claim me as her own? _Fate's face heated up as the group of friends made their way to the room. Arf and Yūuno fell to the floor asleep while Fate and Nanoha helped Claire to the bed. Apparently the girl drank too much and she's...under aged.

"Hey...Fate..." Claire opened an eye dreamily as she watched her friend getting ready for bed. Nanoha had a close eye on her but, that didn't stop what was gonna come out of her mouth.

"Nice...ass.."

Fate's face became bright red and her mind went into overdrive as she started stuttering.

"DO I have permission to KILL that person now?" Nanoha gripped Raging Heart as she watched Claire dose off.

[One Starlight Breaker coming right up]

" I couldn't AGREE more!" Nanoha grinned as she readied her attack. Luckily Fate managed to stop her again from bursting a hole through the airship.

_That cat doesn't know HOW lucky she is._ Nanoha thought as she got ready for bed. "HEY! Arf and Yūuno stop making out!" She glared at the two of them and they gave her a drunken look.

"Wat a party-pooper..." Yūuno snorted.

"No wonder she never gets the boys, she's so up-tight.." Arf nodded. Fate had to restrain a really REALLY angry Nanoha from putting multiple attacks into action.

"REMIND me tomorrow morning to KILL them all!" Nanoha looked devilish as she gave Fate a look.

"Nanoha...that's unnecessary." Fate said as she got into bed. Claire was in cat form and was sleeping peacefully.

_Stupid cat._ Nanoha thought as she got into bed too, grimacing a bit. On the inside she is quite happy for Claire. Everyone slept well that night until Claire wet the bed because of the drinking and caused Nanoha to go on a rampaged. The ship's crew could hear her cursing from a mile away. The next morning, the hangover passed and everyone went on with their daily chores. After the hangover, Claire noticed that Fate would have a red face and Nanoha would have a really dangerous glare plastered to her face. Yūuno and Arf both blushed when they realized they were sleeping together. Unfortunately their situation reached Amy's ears and she announced it all over the intercom. The whole ship roared with laughter and Amy became the number 1 person on the kill list. Nanoha went back to school, hanging out with Arisa and Suzuka like old times. Yūuno and Claire stopped by once in awhile to keep Nanoha company. Arf and Fate had to stay and help with the Jewel Seed investigation in order to prove Fate's innocence.

* * *

_At the harbor..._

"So you're gonna go away for a while..." Nanoha looked sadly at Fate, who stood beside her. The sea breeze swirled around, playing with their hair.

"Yeah...until I can prove my innocence then everything will be fine." Fate muttered before looking at the brown-haired girl. "I wanted...to give you my answer."

"Huh?"

"About being friends...you asked me that question over the ocean and today I'm gonna give you my answer." Fate took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "My answer is...yes."

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha wrapped her arms around the girl and they hugged.

"Call out my name Nanoha...I promise I'll be the one to save you when you are in trouble." Nanoha stared at the burgundy eyes and nodded. Chrono, Yūuno , Arf and Claire watched them from a far. When the time came, Nanoha and Fate had a hard time saying goodbye.

"Here..." Nanoha removed the ribbons that tied her hair back and held them out.

"Then I will too." Fate removed her own ribbons and they exchanged the items.

"Oh take care of yourself Arf-san." Nanoha smiled at the older woman.

"Yeah...you too Nanoha." Arf replied happily. Claire decided to stay behind with Nanoha and had Yūuno go back to help with Fate's trial. It was a sad goodbye but that didn't lower Nanoha's self-esteem.

"Let's go, Claire-chan!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

**A/N**: Finished. Kind of short sorry about that. I really hoped you enjoyed it.


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